Ardern Shane: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Ardern Shane: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5434] 
SHANE ARDERN (NZ National—Taranaki - King Country) 
: 
 It is with some pleasure that at 3 o’clock this morning I rise to speak to the Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill and to say if people have not noticed that National members are opposing it. 
Part 2 consists of lists and lines of figures that look like some kind of computer printout that Steve Maharey got from some university or other; I am sure they are connected to some piece of legislation and it may be to do with alcohol but we cannot be sure of that. In looking at those it absolutely occurred to me that we are here at this time of the day under extraordinary urgency to discuss a tax bill—nothing more nothing less. 
It also occurred to me when I thought about my son’s Tui poster which reads: “The first thing I’ll do is pay off my student loan. Yeah right.” that the next Tui poster will read: “The Labour Government”—headed by Jim Anderton in this case—“cares about young people’s drinking habits. Yeah right.” That’s what the next Tui poster will read. I hope the Tui people are listening tonight in their headquarters up there at Mangatainoka in Georgina Beyer’s electorate. That will be what they have on their next poster. 
This legislation which we are debating at 3 a.m. has absolutely nothing to do with the drinking habits of young people or with the desire which the Government purports to have to reduce the amount of alcohol young people drink. Rather it has to do with the fact that we have a “Chardonnay socialist” Government that is envious of people who do well in society and enjoy a nip or a dram on the way home from somewhere or on reaching home. Most of them are the Government’s own people who after having been to a trade union meeting somewhere or other get home and want to have a wee nip of whisky. This Government is going to tax them. 
That is on top of two commitments made in two credit cards produced in two elections. Labour campaigned up and down the country that a Labour Government would not raise taxes for people on incomes of less than $60000. Well that promise has gone down big time. That is one promise that Labour is breaking in the Chamber tonight overwhelmingly. It is trying to dress it up under extraordinary urgency at 3 minutes past 3 in the morning as some sort of social agenda aimed at helping our young who are not of an age ability or mental capability to understand what they are doing to themselves. So we are to slap $18 million more tax on them and that will bring them to their senses and suddenly they will all be saved from the evils of drinking Tui! 
I hasten to add that I know nothing about these sorts of drinks that young people are drinking. I have not seen them once in the shearing sheds in Te Kuiti or in the haymaking paddocks in Taranaki – King Country drinking KGB Vodka Tattoo or any of other things that are displayed here in the Chamber. I have seen them drink DB Speights Tui and Lion. Those names are familiar to me. I suggest to the Minister in the chair Mr Anderton that the tax in this bill does not affect any of those drinks. If the objective of this bill is to decrease the number of young people who binge drink then this measure completely misses the mark. That has been stated tonight. I would like the Minister to take a call and tell us how I am wrong because I would love to find out. 
It was interesting to listen to the United Future speakers; they stated that there are some drinks out there—drinks that I do not know of; it might be that there are such drinks somewhere out there—in small bottles of 700 ml or less that contain at least 23 percent proof alcohol and that will be affected by this tax thus saving those young people out there who buy those drinks up large and consume them in great quantities from the demons of their ways. Well I would like someone to point that out to me. 
It is just not credible for the Government to come into this Chamber under extraordinary urgency to do this. Extraordinary urgency is the only time I hasten to add that special tax laws can be passed. To say that this law is to help young people is just not true.