Donald Rod: Taxation (Annual Rates GST Trans-Tasman Imputation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Donald Rod: Taxation (Annual Rates GST Trans-Tasman Imputation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:613;Page:10095] 
ROD DONALD (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 Unlike National the Green Party does support progressive taxation but we would like it to be more progressive than it currently is and combined with a suite of eco-taxes. I am disappointed that the Minister of Revenue has exercised his financial veto on my amendment but I do thank him for engaging in the debate on how to help those people who are struggling on low incomes in our community. I hope he will find the heart to offer them something generous before Christmas so that the tag of “Scrooge” no longer applies to him. Perhaps he is trying to model himself after Arnold Nordmeyer—as a famous person once said to me after a Budget a couple of years ago. Although he has pointed out some flaws in the amendment we have put up what we are trying to achieve is an outcome that will benefit all New Zealanders particularly those at the bottom on middle and low incomes who genuinely are struggling and particularly the children of those people. 
In case anyone was thinking the Greens were being fiscally imprudent can I say we would recover the cost of our proposed tax cuts as referred to on our Supplementary Order Paper from a suite of eco-taxes. The first would be a carbon tax. We would also want to end the exemption from taxation that diesel currently enjoys to bring it into line with petrol and we would bring in other eco-taxes on a range of areas such as Crown resource rentals toxics and waste. Our whole philosophy is to cut tax on work and enterprise and also to use tax to discourage waste and pollution. I do not have the resources that Dr Cullen has to calculate that the cost would be between $1.7 billion and $2 billion; our own estimates are around $1 billion. Be that as it may we think making the first $5000 of income tax-free would be a step in the right direction and we note and appreciate the support from Grey Power in a press release from its National President Graham Stairmand for our proposal. 
My challenge to Dr Cullen is that if he does not like it I would like him to offer something better—something that at least matches what we are putting up. Our amendment would put $18.70 into the pockets of most New Zealanders—that is what it would work out as on a weekly basis—and $18.70 a week for a struggling family would make a real difference. Imagine the difference it would make to a one-income family with two children on the average wage! It would certainly help to address the level of child poverty in this country which is something the Minister should not be smiling about. Child poverty is one of the indictments on this Labour Government. I thank the Minister; that is much better. The Minister is now praying that we can solve child poverty. I hope he uses the power that is in his hands through the taxation system and the benefit system to address that very real concern. Any surplus is not real if it is built on the backs of children living in poverty.