3. Question No. 3—FinanceHon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 3—Finance3. Hon AMY ADAMS (National—Selwyn) to the Minister of Finance: Does he stand by all of the Government's statements policies and actions in relation to the economy?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): Yes in the context in which they were given made and undertaken and in the case of my friend and colleague Shane Jones on a case by case basis.Hon Amy Adams: When the Prime Minister said yesterday that the Government would now look for other ways to achieve fairness in the tax system by his definition of fairness does that include work now being done on higher tax rates or inheritance taxes?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: The Government has ruled out higher tax rates in this term of Government.Hon Amy Adams: Well if he agrees with the Prime Minister that tax reforms will be about fairness will he commit to any tax changes being revenue neutral to the Government?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I repeat: the Government has ruled out increasing the top tax rate. We've ruled out an inheritance tax. I believe the member might be referring to our party policies for the 2020 election and they're not my responsibility as a Minister are they.Hon Amy Adams: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. Sorry Mr Speaker I seek your assistance for that. I asked a very simple question about a comment the Prime Minister made yesterday about looking for other ways to bring fairness into the system and I just asked for a statement on tax neutrality. The Minister appeared to answer my first question again. I just would like an answer. He may choose not to answer but he could at least address it to what was asked.SPEAKER: I think the member got a very clear answer about what the Government policy was—very clear.Hon Amy Adams: Well if tax reforms are going to be about fairness as the Prime Minister said yesterday why can he not commit to any of those tax changes being revenue neutral to the Government?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I'm pointing out the fact that the issues the member raised in her first supplementary question are not on the agenda of the Government. What we are doing is advancing for example a digital services tax and making sure that we continue to close loopholes around GST issues. Those will remain important parts of the work programme for the Government and the member will be able to see the status of all of those when the Budget's released.Hon Amy Adams: So by refusing to commit to revenue neutrality is he not in fact making it clear that tax reforms will be about a tax grab for Government not at all about fairness?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: No.Hon Amy Adams: Was associate finance Minister James Shaw correct when he was asked by Radio New Zealand if not proceeding with a capital gains tax meant that the Government was going to be borrowing more money and replied Yes we are."?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: It is a statement of fact that the member and I have covered a number of times in select committee that in dollar terms the Government has been borrowing more money. But I do note that today's accounts that have been released show that net debt is at 20.6 percent—or $60.5 billion—and that at the end of the September the September accounts for 2017 those numbers were 22.8 percent and $61 billion. So actually it's less money at the moment.Hon Amy Adams: So if the capital gains tax back-down is going to mean the Government borrowing more money as the associate finance Minister has confirmed doesn't that just show us that the Tax Working Group proposals weren't about fairness at all and were in fact a thinly veiled tax grab that New Zealanders saw through?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: At no point had this Government factored in any revenue from the capital gains tax given that had it come into force it wouldn't have been until 2021—barking up the wrong tree."