Jones Dail: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Jones Dail: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:623;Page:18423] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 When New Zealanders ask why there is such a massive $7 billion Budget surplus in this Labour Government’s coffers we do not have to go beyond this legislation to find the answer. This is a typical Labour Government: it taxes it taxes and it taxes. It cannot help itself; it thinks of yet more ways of taxing. This bill is another example of pernicious Labour Government taxation. 
There is no need for this bill because currently the Labour Government receives $1825 million in taxes from road users but spends only $1371 million so it still has $400 million - plus up its sleeve in so far as the last financial year—2004—is concerned. We also know that in Transfund’s last year it did not spend all its money and it had $250 million left over. There is no need for this legislation other than as a back-door method for the Labour Government to collect more taxes to spend on some of the special little projects it has around the country for its supporters. 
New Zealand First opposes this legislation. Our policy on this matter is very clear. First the Government should spend the money that it currently collects from the taxpayer for use on the roads. It is collected from the taxpayer for use on the roads; it should be spent on the roads. In looking at the statistics it was interesting to see that in the financial years ending 1996 1997 1998 and 1999 there was an ever-increasing amount of expenditure on the roads on a percentage basis. One remembers that that was New Zealand First policy and that the Rt Hon Winston Peters was Treasurer at the time. New Zealand First talks about spending more money on the roads with that money to come from the money collected for spending on the roads and when we are in Government we actually do it as well—as one can see from these figures which are here. 
When Labour came into power in the years 2000 2001 and 2002 the situation once again became gradually worse. There have been so many bad years of Labour and National Governments and I look for example at the year 1990. That was one of the worst-ever years of the previous Labour Government’s time in office. It spent so little on the roads and from there on things just became worse and worse until New Zealand First tried to make some sort of impact. 
 I have to say that in the last couple of years because inevitably something had to be done there has been a bit more money spent on the roads. I suspect that that has been because the issue has been raised in this House around the country and in Auckland. It is also thanks to John Banks. I should give some credit to the former Mayor of Auckland John Banks who made such a fuss and bother. With the high profile he had—and probably still has and will continue to have—he got the message out and I believe cooperated with the Government of the day the Labour Government to make sure that more money was spent on Auckland roads. I had the privilege of going along— 
Jill Pettis 
: Yes funded by the Labour Government. 
DAIL JONES 
: I do not deny it. I say that finally in the last couple of years more money has been spent on roads. But the motorist has been taxed $1.8 billion. That is where all the money that the Government ever spends on the roads comes from but of course it does not spend that amount; it has spent $1.371 million and it has a massive surplus to use in other areas. And it wants another $200 million - odd or whatever the figure is for this particular type of legislation for other purposes of its own. So this bill is not needed at all. 
New Zealand First has also made it clear that it will not support toll roads. The previous National speaker said that we are a very highly taxed nation. He went on and on and said that we should not be taxed any more through this bill and we agree with that. But of course he then supported toll roads. What else is a toll road other than another form of taxation? The National Party has to be a little more consistent about what it says when it comes to taxation. The Government is clear: it wants to tax people black and blue blue and white—and any colour one likes. It will tax people through the ordinary roading tax it will bring in this extra tax and it will tax people through toll roads. Of course that is Labour all the time. But with regard to the National Party I think it should reconsider its view and once again support New Zealand First policy and say that tolls on roads are a form of taxation. If the National Party is sincere about not taxing people more it should not promote tolls on roads. New Zealand First does not support toll roads. There is plenty of money there already for use on roading— 
Jill Pettis 
: What about the Tauranga Harbour Bridge? 
DAIL JONES 
: It should not be tolled. That is New Zealand First policy. How many times do I have to tell that member that it should not be tolled? But she cannot get the message quite obviously. She cannot be told that it should not be tolled! We cannot tell her anything even when she has been told. I am talking about Jill Pettis from the Labour Party on this particular occasion. 
New Zealand First supported the legislation last year for the establishment of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority and suchlike. As a member of Parliament who looks after the Helensville electorate and who is located on the North Shore and in west Auckland for constituency purposes I take a close interest in what happens in the west Auckland area. New Zealand First in supporting that legislation last year made it clear that we also supported a good transport service by way of buses and rail. We do not support just roads on their own which is the impression I seem to get from Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith; we support a completely integrated roading system. 
I made the point during that debate last year and I repeat it today that I look forward to the second rail line going not just as far as New Lynn as is proposed but even as far as Helensville. I look forward to that line going up to Helensville as part of a totally integrated Auckland set-up. I hope that one day John Key the member of Parliament for Helensville will agree with me and will support me and the people of the Helensville electorate in supporting that second line up to Helensville. It is important for an overall system that we not only have roads but also have a good bus system. 
On the North Shore we do not have a rail line. The Mayor of North Shore George Wood is to be congratulated on the work he is doing on the bus transport system being organised for the North Shore. He made the point in a recent  
New Zealand Herald  
article that “I want to see a balanced but positive approach from the ARC in line with our expectations that the Infrastructure Auckland $1.8 billion nest egg will pay for ferry bus and rail facilities and be available quickly.” I think the point Mr Wood is making there is that we do not want the Auckland Regional Council just to sit on that money and to pay out just the interest on roading rail and ferry development; we want it actually to use some of that capital where it is so badly needed. The concern in Auckland is that the Auckland Regional Council will just sit on that money like a hen sitting on a golden egg and will pay out only a bit of interest now and then. I can assure the Mayor of North Shore that I have read his speech and I can assure him that I will be keeping an eye on the Auckland Regional Council’s development in that way. 
As he also said in that speech: “… better public transport has to come first.” He wanted to make progress towards a target of 35 percent of people travelling on the harbour bridge using public transport by 2011. I make that point from the New Zealand First view to make it clear that we support the upgrade the improvements in the roading system and we also support the need for an integrated bus and rail transport system. Roading should not be considered purely on its own. I look forward to the extension of the north-western motorway in a proper way. When I look at the extension out to the airport through the Hillsborough - Mount Roskill area and going past Carrington and suchlike and the creation of a fourth lane on the north-western motorway I will be making sure as one of the members interested that it is done effectively and efficiently and that the north-western motorway does not suddenly get a whole lot of extra traffic without the necessary extra lane to make it work. 
This legislation is totally unconstitutional it is giving a Minister far too much power and it is totally unnecessary because the money is already there. Not only is the money there but some of it has not been spent. There are surpluses in Land Transport New Zealand’s accounts at the moment. New Zealand First cannot support such a pernicious unconstitutional and unnecessary piece of legislation.