Goldsmith Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Goldsmith Paul: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Sitting date: 01 May 2012. Volume:679;Page:1767. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
1. 
PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Finance 
: What will be the main focus of the Government’s Budget on 24 May? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) 
: 
 The Government has a comprehensive economic programme for this term. Our main priorities are responsibly managing the Government’s finances building a more productive and competitive economy delivering better public services and rebuilding Christchurch. The Budget on 24 May will focus on further implementing that programme where we are making substantial progress. 
Paul Goldsmith 
: Why is responsibly managing the Government’s finances and particularly getting back to a Budget surplus by 2014-15 one of the Government’s priorities? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: Through the recession we decided it was appropriate to continue to borrow to protect New Zealanders from the sharp edges of that recession. The result of that has been that Government debt has risen from $8 billion in 2008 to $50 billion today and on the current forecast will reach $75 billion before it stops rising. And the only way we can stop it rising is to achieve a surplus which the Government wants to achieve by 2014-15. 
Paul Goldsmith 
: How fast has Government spending and debt increased in recent years? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: Between 2000 and 2009 Crown expenditure jumped by more than 80 percent from $35 billion to $64 billion. On top of that we have had the expense of the earthquakes. I gave the House before the figures for our public debt. The Government will continue to take considered and balanced decisions to close our Budget deficit and stop the rapid rise in public debt. 
Hon David Parker 
: Did he really call his pre-Budget speech today “sticking to a plan that’s working”; and if so was it always his plan to have a stagnant economy a $1 billion hole in tax revenue a zero Budget a rising current account deficit and record numbers of New Zealanders moving to Australia? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: The Prime Minister did give that speech today and I must say the audience were very grateful that it was not a Labour politician giving that speech because they know what a mess Labour left this economy in when it enjoyed 10 years of benign economic conditions. 
Rt Hon Winston Peters 
: When will he inform the country that provisional tax estimates are proving in reality to be seriously down and that this is one more reason his forward surplus forecasts are now based on pure “hope-ism”? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: No I cannot confirm that. In fact the softest bit of the tax forecast has been the GST take and at least one of the reasons GST is a bit lower than expected is people are saving more and being careful with their spending and that is what they expect the Government to do. 
Paul Goldsmith 
: What reports has he seen on alternative approaches to managing the economy? 
Hon BILL ENGLISH 
: I have seen reports of alternative approaches that involve almost without exception borrowing more money spending more on programmes that do not work increasing taxes and imposing significant extra costs on businesses. They came from the same party where one of its economic spokesmen said yesterday that the last 30 years of economic policy in New Zealand had been a mistake; for about half of that his party was in Government.