Guy Nathan: Taxation (Budget Tax Measures) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Guy Nathan: Taxation (Budget Tax Measures) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:654;Page:3978] 
NATHAN GUY (National—Otaki) 
: 
 The previous speaker was Iain Lees-Galloway from Palmerston North. He failed to tell the people of Palmerston North that he will be voting for the Taxation (Budget Tax Measures) Bill. He has been whipped into line and will support this bill. 
I need to make a few introductory remarks. The Labour caucus is all over the place on this bill. Tonight on  
Close Up 
 I heard the Labour leader the Hon Phil Goff say that we should have more tax cuts yet in the House tonight Labour is supporting this bill. I also heard the Hon Phil Goff say this afternoon that the National Government was lucky enough to inherit an economy that was in good shape. Well what a misnomer that is! How could Phil Goff possibly stand up in the House today and say that with any credibility when the books were open at the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update and there was a decade of red ink and deficit? That member is an absolute embarrassment. 
He also said that this Budget was a Budget of missed opportunities. I need to bring to the House’s attention that this is a very tough economy. It is the toughest since 1930 and indeed we are in our sixth quarter of negative growth. A member who has recently departed the House—Michael Cullen the former Minister of Finance—said on 20 March 2008 that a recession was unlikely. The following day he said that he expected a technical recession. He squandered the good years—the magnificent years—that we had which were nothing to do with what the former Labour Government did. All those years were squandered. We came into Government opened up the cupboard and found that—whoopsie—the cupboard was bare. 
If we want to set the record straight I say that the now dumped president of the Labour Party Mike Williams said there was a deep dark secret in the 2005 Budget. Wait for it! Then in 2005 the Minister of Finance said that Labour was moving the income thresholds and that the average worker would benefit by 68c—just half the cost of a packet of chewing gum. Then lo and behold the Labour Government had to cancel the tax cut. 
This Government is going about its job in particularly difficult times. We have already rolled out our tax package—$13 a week to the average hard worker—and we are actually moving on and supporting entitlements. All the constituents in the Otaki electorate particularly those over 65 will be pleased to know that we are supporting them in superannuation. Those who are reliant on Working for Families in particularly hard times will be very pleased to hear that we are supporting their entitlements. This bill has the support I believe of those members across the other side of the House as well which is surprising because when we hear their speeches we wonder whether they are supporting it. 
I think Labour members owe it to the public of New Zealand to give them a bit of an indication on this two-part bill which is only a couple of pages long as to whether they will filibuster this bill like they did with the Local Government (Auckland Reorganisation) Bill to the tune of 8000 amendments in this House. The next speaker from the Opposition should stand up in the second reading and say where Labour stands in terms of the Committee stage and whether it will support this bill in its current form. 
Bill read a first time.