4. Question No. 4—FinanceCHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of FinanceQuestion No. 4—Finance4. CHLÖE SWARBRICK (Green—Auckland Central) to the Minister of Finance: Does he agree with Labour MP Grant Robertson who said in 2014 We will ensure that all New Zealanders get a fair go by reforming monetary policy and by ensuring that everybody pays their fair share with a tax policy where higher-income earners actually pay their tax and actually pay their fair share"; if so is that what we can expect tomorrow?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): I do agree with the earlier quote from the then young handsome Labour Party associate spokesperson for arts culture and heritage. I also agree with the spirited youthful optimism with which that comment was made. However I would note that my full quote includes reference to a capital gains tax which was Labour Party policy at the time. That has already been ruled out for this Budget by both me and the Prime Minister. In terms of what we can expect tomorrow we can expect that the sun will rise that there will be a Budget and that the National Party's response will be written by AI.Chlöe Swarbrick: How does the Minister reconcile retaining a tax system that his own Government's research has proven privileges the wealthy few with the 2014 statement of Grant Robertson Labour MP that—and I quote—"We will be a Government that puts people at the centre of the economy. Not speculators not big interests not the wealthy few"?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I do believe that our Government has made significant progress including through the tax system in increasing the top rate but also making changes—which I know are widely popular in the House—around interest deductibility for example for speculators and investors. We have made good progress on making our system fairer.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does he believe that Governments make considered deliberate choices on revenue and spending settings and if so is choosing not to fairly tax the wealthy—who currently pay less than half the effective tax rate of the average New Zealander—a considered and deliberate choice for the Government?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As the Prime Minister and myself have indicated in the build-up to the Budget it is correct that in the economic circumstances that we are in at this time we do not believe that major tax changes are appropriate. We have made the tax reform that we'd promised to make at the 2020 election. Future policies are for political parties to make.Chlöe Swarbrick: Will his Government then choose to end poverty in tomorrow's Budget by reforming Working for Families and raising benefits so that no children in this country go without?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I am extremely proud of the record of this Government when it comes to lifting children out of poverty: 77000 people as the Prime Minister has indicated. I'm also extremely proud of the increases that we have made to Working for Families over the time that we have been in Government and the support that we have given to low and middle income New Zealanders as we've found our way through COVID. This is a Budget where we have had to strike a difficult balance but it will continue to support the most vulnerable in our society.Chlöe Swarbrick: Will his Government choose to boost teachers' nurses' midwives' and emergency service workers' wages and conditions to rival Australia?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: As I've said many times in the House that's something that this Government has been working towards to lift the wages of exactly those people. As we've stated before there is a careful balance to be struck here. But I do take the member's overall point which is actually there are choices to be made about what we invest in. It does not automatically occur that money goes into our education and our health system to support the people that she is talking about. We have made the choices in previous Budgets to invest there. There are other parties in this House who like to think it's some magic thing that that happens. It's not; it's because the Government chooses to invest in public services.Chlöe Swarbrick: Does the Minister acknowledge that all Budget decisions are therefore political choices and is his Government's choice tomorrow whether to end poverty and commit now to the necessary radical climate action to keep us below 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming or continue tinkering?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I believe that all Budgets are about getting a balance between the many many different things that are the responsibility of the Government and the many things that we want to do for the future of New Zealand. I am proud of what we've done over the last six years facing as we have COVID; facing as we have a difficult economic circumstance; and now an extreme weather event. All of those things factor into what we do in the Budget but this will be another Budget from a Government that cares about people and invests in them."