Carter John: Taxation (Annual Rates Maori Organisations Taxpayer Compliance and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — In Committee 
Carter John: Taxation (Annual Rates Maori Organisations Taxpayer Compliance and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4240] 
JOHN CARTER (NZ National—Northland) 
: 
 I am taking a call on Part 3 because I have been listening to this debate and I have to say that this bill the whole bill actually is causing me more and more concern. This bill I think is quite a serious bill because of what it is doing. Part 3 is an example of that and we have just heard a very good speech from Dail Jones about the concerns we have. To be fair I must say that the Minister of Finance was taking calls in this debate and helping to explain to the Committee what is going on— 
Hon Paul Swain 
: Not according to my notes. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Michael Cullen did not take a call? He has taken a call but not on this part. In fact he took two or three calls and I thought he was very helpful. He tried to explain the bill but at the end of the day he was not able to. Nevertheless his contribution was useful and it was good to see the Minister in the chair take a call. I really would like the Minister in the chair now Paul Swain to stand up and advise the Committee why he thinks this legislation should be passed. Also it would be great if the Minister of Maori Affairs would take a call on this part and explain to the Committee why he believes it is an important part of what the Government is doing for Maori. 
Rodney Hide 
: He needs money for the booze-ups. 
JOHN CARTER 
: Well he could explain why money has been spent in the wrong places. But what concerns me—and I know that it probably concerns the Minister of Maori Affairs; or I suspect it does—is the injustice of what this bill will do for all non-Maori in this country. 
Hon Parekura Horomia 
: Don’t forget your mokopuna. 
JOHN CARTER 
: She would not expect to have special attention just because she is of Maori descent. She is a person who will stand on her own feet in this country thank you very much. She does not need to have a Government saying to her: “Sorry you aren’t capable of looking after yourself.” She is a young lass who will get on her feet and make something of her life by herself for herself. She does not need somebody like the Minister of Maori Affairs coming along and saying: “Sorry. You’re not capable.” which is what this bill is doing. It is saying: “Sorry. You seem to be disadvantaged and incapable of looking after yourself.” I am pleased to say to my colleague across the way that my mokopuna will not be in that situation—no one in this country needs to be—but the Government with this legislation is encouraging that to happen. 
I know that that Minister across the way does not think like that actually. I am surprised that he is sitting here listening to this debate and not contributing. More important I am surprised he is allowing his Government to put this sort of legislation through. In the days when he was an ordinary person prior to becoming a member of Parliament he never thought like that at all. That member over there worked at trying to get people on their own feet and using their own values. That is what he used to do. Now he is not even defending Part 3. 
As I said we have just heard a very good speech from the honourable Dail Jones who told us about the difficulties that this legislation will cause people and about the extra costs they are likely to incur. I am talking entirely about the extra costs that are likely to be imposed on people if there is a dispute about any area of Part 3 with regard to the payment of tax. I say to the Minister in the chair and to the Minister of Maori Affairs particularly that they need to be concerned about that. The Minister of Maori Affairs needs to read Part 3 if he has not yet had the opportunity to do so—and he may not have—and ask why an extra impost will be put on his people. He needs to ask why the Government is imposing extra compliance costs when this legislation is supposedly an advantage to people of Maori descent. I say to the Minister across the way that I do not know that that is so at all. He needs to think seriously about how he will vote on this legislation because when he is on the marae next time somebody who knows a bit about taxation law will stand up and start asking him some questions—and what is going to happen?