Jones Shane: Taxation (GST and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
Jones Shane: Taxation (GST and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee Speaker Recalled In Committee Procedure Third Reading 
[Volume:669;Page:16201] 
Hon SHANE JONES (Labour) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Speaker. I have to acknowledge the grand old man of Northland politics Mr John Carter. The shortness of his speech is paving the way for him to go to Rarotonga next year where members of the Golden Oldies rugby team may prevail upon him from time to time. I have to say that other characters who have washed up on those shores have not enjoyed a long and fruitful life so I say kia tupato to Mr Carter.  
Aaron Gilmore 
: What about size? 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: Of course there is Mr Gilmore the man who wanders around Parliament humming: “I’ve been there man; I’ve been everywhere man.” That is his whole approach to his political contributions in this House but I can tell members when he never does that: when Amy Adams gives him that withering look. She gives him that withering look after she has suffered the bumbling of the chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee Mr Foss; then the member freezes. She tried that look with Parekura Horomia’s cousin Hekia Parata and came off second-best. That is why the latter is on the benches of Treasury and Amy has gone back to give more of those heartfelt speeches about Christchurch. There is a level of emotion where there are almost tears from the wreaths around this room but she did nothing—absolutely nothing—in the context of her contributions to this bill to improve the prospects of the garden-variety families down there in Te Wai Pounamu and around Otautahi to receive any meaningful benefit just before Christmas.  
Every time we hear from Mr Aaron Gilmore he gives everyone a DNA-based reminder that National should not ditch him and jettison him along with the ACT Party members who during the time that we on this side of the House have been debating this bill have wandered around the country continuing to drive a racial wedge between God-fearing friendly New Zealanders. Those members mistakenly think that while we are working on this arid topic doing the job of the Government they can wander around because they are either too ill-informed or uninterested in earning their pay to make meaningful parliamentary contributions. Perversely enough the newest member of the ACT Party will wake up and realise that she is occupying a similar sleeping space as Hone Harawira. With the level of extremism that they both bring they deserve each other on that particular issue. But that is another matter.  
The Taxation (GST and Remedial Matters) Bill continues a host of issues that the select committee considered and regarding our contribution to it we were quite relaxed in terms of support. We got sterling service from the members of the policy unit out of the tax department. If memory serves me correctly once or even thrice we had the oracle Mr Robin Oliver—please spell that word in the right manner—who generally knows everything about tax law. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: About everything. 
Hon SHANE JONES 
: Well I recall Helen Clark saying that Robin Oliver not only knew everything but also was a great contributor when the Government realised that as a consequence of entering into tax innovations it needed a solution to rationalise them. Mr Oliver probably did his greatest work in relation to Mr Tony Gibbs’ innovation.  
A number of measures in this bill were designed as a contribution to simplify the administration of the GST system. I will not repeat the fact that there was an opportunity to lessen the burden of GST on our Kiwi families in their day-to-day toil. That was rejected. In addition there was an opportunity to explain to New Zealanders as a consequence of a sudden burst of enthusiasm through a Supplementary Order Paper why the additional changes were needed. So it fell to this side of the House. As someone who grew up on a farm and has owned a bit of land from time to time there is some sense in what is proposed in relation to the zero rating. However what has blighted the discussions is there was an unwillingness on that side of the House to stand and gradually take us as a full House through why a number of these changes were dropped on the floor of the House in a virtual ambush fashion just before Christmas.  
This bill picks up and papers over the mistakes of the Minister of Maori Affairs. Several months ago when other tax changes were made there was an egregious omission reflective of the fact that there is great inattention and sleepiness on that side of the House. The Government ended up changing tax rates but forgot all about some of the neediest New Zealanders—that is those Maori families who have rights and interests in Maori trusts. Their tax rates should have been calibrated at that point in time. It was fixed up in the time that Labour was in power. It was a late contribution but nevertheless a useful contribution. It is a shame that Te Ururoa Flavell made a decent rationalisation as to why he felt compelled to support this bill given that Rahui Katene has provided most of the verbal leadership on the bill. She is now back on the seabed and foreshore issue where we understand she is preparing to abandon her party and vote with our side of the House. Meetings are being held from Te Tau Ihu right through to Te Wai Pounamu. She is under intense pressure this evening because she now realises that she will lose that seat. That is why she is not here this evening to fulfil her responsibilities in respect of tax policy. Goodness knows what it is she could say that would make much sense in relation to filling the vacuum that has been evident on that side of the House.  
But never mind I and my colleagues particularly Mr Mallard—that stubborn campaigner—have ensured that not a single measure or level of vacuum goes unattended in this House and in this debate. However the Maori Party needs to take a lesson from the omission on their part that was fixed up by us: pay attention to the bread-and-butter issues because that is what tax impacts on. It impacts on the lives of not only the corporate merchants but also the daily people. Do they have enough buns at the end of the week? Do they have the ability to live within their budget? Many people as a consequence of failed tax policy extended in many respects by that rather rushed job of a Supplementary Order Paper will have a Christmas where they will be the casualties of a flawed tax policy. They will have a very meagre range of goods in the tokena in the stocking of Father Christmas.  
As we go beyond this point in our debates about tax we cannot wait until we move into the new year and continually remind New Zealanders—not as a consequence of Gerry Brownlee’s foolish management of the House that we are stuck here on a Friday evening; members on the other side of the House are giving frightfully short speeches because they are angry that Gerry Brownlee has trapped them here—that they will suffer because there has been a very impoverished view given by the Government as to how fiscal policy ought to be used to improve the lives of New Zealanders. Nowhere was that seen more lucidly than by the Governor of the Reserve Bank Dr Alan Bollard recently. He said to not place all the pressure on him as the architect of monetary policy but blame those who hold the levers of fiscal policy. Fiscal policy is tax policy. Fiscal policy is revenue policy. When one shrinks one’s revenue when it is frittered away and enjoyed by a narrow economic caste who are already able to pay their way and one removes from the pockets and wallets of needy New Zealanders those precious cents and dollars one only makes their Christmas their summer break and indeed the year coming towards us a worse experience.  
I tell New Zealanders to wait as help is on the way. We have a host of very innovative and impressive policies that will address the ongoing failures of tax policy in particular the perpetuation of privilege through nefarious structuring of property and other assets including as I was told today by Mr Cunliffe recreational boats. I am very confident that the senior members of our team are bringing forward a set of policies that will enable New Zealanders to see that there will be a demonstrable change and a new trajectory. As a consequence of that New Zealanders will be more secure the country will be more prosperous and those members will be held responsible for the poverty they are bringing through failed legislation such as this. Kia ora tatou katoa.