2. Question No. 2—Prime MinisterCHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime MinisterQuestion No. 2—Prime Minister2. CHRISTOPHER LUXON (Leader of the Opposition) to the Prime Minister: Does she stand by all of her Government's statements and actions?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN (Prime Minister): Yes. In particular I stand by this Government's decision to bring forward the date for opening our border to tourists in a move that will help further accelerate our economic recovery from COVID-19. From 11.59 p.m. Tuesday 12 April Australians will be able to travel to New Zealand isolation-free and just in time for the school holidays. Not long after from 11.59 p.m. Sunday 1 May vaccinated travellers from visa-waiver countries will be able to travel to New Zealand again. This includes for our key tourism markets like the United Kingdom the United States Japan Germany Korea and Singapore. We know it will take time to see tourism scale up again but today's announcement is a great boost for an industry who has had it very tough over the past two years. And finally to those considering a visit to New Zealand in the very near future welcome. Can I say that we missed you.Christopher Luxon: How much better off will a family with two teenage children where both parents earn $60000 a year be after the Working for Families' changes on 1 April?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: What I don't have necessarily is a specific example—Chris Bishop: Oh!Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —to run through for every—SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to interrupt right now. Standing Orders are very clear and that is when a general primary question is asked Ministers cannot be expected to give specific answers. And I will not have—I mean the member's probably got the disadvantage now that he's closer to me and his loud volume interjections will appear to be louder than me. I will not have criticism of a Minister who does not have specific information that that Minister has not been asked for.Chris Bishop: Point of order.SPEAKER: If the member's going to disagree with me now he might have a short term in the Chamber.Chris Bishop: I just want to clarify: am I no longer allowed to express reaction to the answer of a Minister?SPEAKER: Not at that volume.David Seymour: Point of order Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker the Speakers' rulings are very clear: interjections ought to be rare and reasonable. He didn't break any of those rules. Is there now—SPEAKER: Order! The member will resume his seat right now. I ruled it was unreasonably loud.Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Thank you Mr Speaker. I am happy to share two examples though. For instance if you took a single person at an income of $55000 with children they would be better off an average of $21 per week. I would note that it depends also on the age of the children. We are increasing the Best Start payment which benefits low and middle income families if they have a child for instance under the age of three. The other example I could give that perhaps is in keeping with the member's example in terms of wages if you take for instance a new police graduate who in 2017 may have been earning in the order of $62000 they now as a result of some of the wage work that we've done across the public sector are earning an additional $12292. I could give further examples across nurses and teachers as well.Christopher Luxon: Can she confirm that that family with two people earning $60000 and two kids will not gain a single dollar in income from her so-called cost of living relief package but if she reset the tax brackets for the last four years of inflation they'd be $1600 a year better off?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again it would depend on the specifics of the family make-up. But I would also point out across a range of examples that I could also counter with where the member's tax bracket changes do not for instance benefit families to the same degree as for instance even with the reduction we've added with fuel the family tax credit increase the Best Start payment increase. It will come down to the circumstances of those families. Bottom line: the member's proposals which for some families on very low incomes delivers $2 in many cases won't deliver the same amount as our changes and also he has not demonstrated how he will pay for them and continue to provide the healthcare and the other range of services that Governments are obliged to provide. [Member interjects]Christopher Luxon: Can she explain how a family earning the average household income who have seen the cost of living increase by as much as $5000 over the last 12 months are supposed to cope let alone thrive when this Government is completely ignoring them?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again I totally reject the premise of that member's question. Again if we run through all of the work that we as a Government have done since we've come into office we have been completely focused on ensuring we're doing what we can to lift the incomes of New Zealanders. Now whether or not it is for instance our policy to get rid of school donations so we take a bit of extra pressure off families to be paying for when their kids are going to school when they should be receiving free education; whether or not it's free doctors visits for under-14s; whether it's healthy food in schools for 200000 children across the country—even period products in schools. That is on top of the Best Start payment we introduced. That's on top of extending paid parental leave; increases to the family tax credit which was on top of those that we brought in when we came into office; or even the creation of the winter energy payment. We have had a relentless focus on the cost of living for New Zealanders since 2017. Now I don't deny that times are absolutely tough now which is why you saw us this week again reduce fuel excise whilst also making sure we don't cut the projects that those families want us to continue with.SPEAKER: Order! Before the Leader of the Opposition asks his next question I do want to warn him that his last supplementary was out of order. The last phrase in it made it that way. While I'm on my feet I will again admonish Mr Bishop. When he interjects he doesn't interject in the second person. I think he's a third-term MP now. He should know that. Christopher Luxon: When she said yesterday that the Government was giving back to … middle income earners" does she believe someone earning $60000 a year is a middle-income earner?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: The first thing that I would say is that whether or not you are using tax cuts or tax credits ultimately it's a different way of ensuring that support is going to families but the difference being there is either targeted or untargeted. By being targeted we can reach low and middle income. I acknowledge of course median wage is putting people generally at about $72000 from memory. But what we're focused on is how we can lift the amount of support that exists whilst families are facing an increase in the costs of living—relative to the member's proposal where he would reduce taxes the most for those who are on the wealthiest incomes and cannot tell us how he will pay for the other services that those families rely on.Christopher Luxon: Does she agree that resetting the tax brackets in real terms to where they were four years ago is not even giving back; it's simply the Government not taking more of what Kiwis earn because of inflation?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As I just said in my last answer whether or not you do it with a tax bracket adjustment or a tax credit it is simply a targeted way of trying to achieve that same thing.Christopher Luxon: Will the Budget contain meaningful tax relief for Kiwi families earning an average household income who are facing record price increases while paying more tax under Labour because of bracket creep?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: As you will have seen from our initiatives we haven't waited. From December of last year we saw based on what many economists were forecasting by the simultaneous recovery globally of economies that we would see extra pressure on supply extra supply chain constraints—those things which have contributed to inflation in a number of countries and economies we compare ourselves to. So we moved in December to put those increases in place for 1 April and then this week we moved immediately—Chris Bishop: Immediately? Straight after a poll. Ha ha!Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: —when we saw just the volatility in fuel prices—within 24 hours from announcement seeing reduction at the pump. If Mr Bishop thinks the 25c reduction is laughable for many people it is not.Christopher Luxon: Does she believe that families on the average household income who are paying more tax while getting smashed with inflation are somehow immune to the cost of living crisis and if not can she explain why she is refusing to give them tax relief at the Budget?Rt Hon JACINDA ARDERN: Again as I've already said in my answers we have focused on using the tax credit system to ensure that we are lifting the incomes of our low and middle income earners—particularly focused on those with children and those with younger children where we know the cost burden is higher and that's where the Best Start payment has been particularly useful. Contrast that with the member's proposal which would see a couple on $280000 or more receiving an extra $23 a week as the result of his tax cuts at the highest-income bracket. Taxpayers need us to do a bit of everything. They need us to look at the cost of living—and we have with fuel and of course the package which comes in on 1 April. But they also want to know they can get the healthcare they need when they need it. They also want to know that they have the best-quality schools possible. Governments have to make sure that they do everything. The member has not told us how he will pay for everything with his policies and his fiscal hole."