Harawira Hone: Taxation (Depreciation Payment Dates Alignment FBT and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — Third Reading 
Harawira Hone: Taxation (Depreciation Payment Dates Alignment FBT and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:630;Page:2101] 
HONE HARAWIRA (Maori Party—Te Tai Tokerau) 
: 
Tena koe Mr Speaker. Tenatatou katoa i te Whare. You know Mr Speaker whenever I talk about tax to my constituents their eyes start to glaze over the shutters come crashing down and before I can say “payment alignment dates” they are all asleep. But I know as do my colleagues in the Maori Party that every issue raised in Parliament is important to Maori and that we as a caucus have a responsibility to give each issue the serious consideration it deserves. 
During the passage of this bill the Maori Party has raised a number of issues including problems with compliance costs the role that taxation plays in helping to drive local economies and the need for a sustainable economic base. We have also raised the basic question of how taxation will impact on Maori throughout Aotearoa. Will it eradicate poverty and how can we refocus our efforts to be more positive in our use of taxation? 
We note how easily our Government can make political decisions to improve the status of the poor in South Africa. In that regard I am mindful of a comment made by Bishop Desmond Tutu who said: “If everyone who wants to see an end to poverty hunger and suffering speaks out then the noise will be deafening. Politicians will have to listen.” Although the noise during question time can be painfully loud a stronger and more enduring noise is needed if we are to be inspired to act swiftly and honourably in the interests of the people whose needs are far greater than our own. 
When the chairman of the Finance and Expenditure Committee spoke to this bill he mentioned that tax breaks for those who want to bring finance into Aotearoa would be addressed. The Maori Party would add that it is probably even more important that we look to our own land and see how we may improve economic growth here rather than look to overseas investment and the problems that it brings for Maori particularly and for our nation as a whole. 
For example the export revenue from Maori farms is about $800 million a year but those farms still operate at a level that is only about 70 percent of the national average. It seems that some targeted tax relief in research and development and farm management could go a long way towards improving that return yet this bill seems to be more focused on research and development tax relief for companies that are bringing in new investors. Again perhaps we need to look closer to home in order to realise positive growth. 
Another area we could target for economic growth is marine farming. The Maori Party notes that the Maori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act was rushed through the House as a vote-getter but not one new marine farm has been set up as a result of it. The potential for marine farming for Maori and for the nation’s economy is huge and I note that when the Act was launched last year the Hon Dover Samuels said it signalled new opportunities for Maori in the marine farming industry. So members can imagine how concerning it is to see less than 9 months later the same Dover Samuels report huge frustration amongst coastal Maori over the unworkability of the aquaculture legislation. The Maori Party is happy to back Dover Samuels’ call that Maori marine farming be supported and as the member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau I will do my best to see that the Government’s decisions do not continue to deny Maori access to that industry. 
 I note also Dover Samuels’ comments yesterday that the Government’s oceans policy was pie in the sky and would undermine economic development. The Maori Party will be watching to see what changes are made to legislation as a result of the advice of the Associate Minister. 
We all suffer the errors of flawed policy and we must all take the steps necessary to address those flaws. Yesterday we saw the latest in a long line of Labour MPs trip over his sense of self-importance but we acknowledge David Parker for recognising his mistakes and taking the appropriate action. His actions were similar to those we have seen in the Maori world where those who do wrong are expected to front their people on their marae and receive the justice they deserve. It is a pity that we are losing touch with a justice that is as honest as it is simple. 
Although I recognise the importance of the changes to the depreciation rules I know that my constituents will not jump for joy or weep into their beers over them for the simple reason that they really do not give a stuff. They are more worried about the rise in fuel prices and the impact of that on their wallets and on their lives. 
We applaud the Inland Revenue Department for agreeing to waive the penalties for people who make genuine mistakes in their tax returns—and if the tax police can deal with flawed policy then anyone can. 
I also note that the Inland Revenue Department has aligned the GST and provisional tax payment dates to make it easier for those who pay business taxes. That decision will I know help Maori businesses greatly. They have often been affected by the tight payment schedules and the penalty clauses that kick in when they are late due to sickness of the whanau travel medical costs tangihanga and the need to give koha at times that simply do not fit with Inland Revenue Department schedules. Although we oppose this bill we support the initiatives to simplify the tax rules and to reduce the number of times people need to deal with the Inland Revenue Department so that provision is a move in the right direction. 
I remind the House that although the Government receives $1.2 billion every year from the taxes on tobacco products the real costs of smoking—through smoking-related illnesses and the associated health care through fire property life and health insurance costs through the cost of refurbishing homes offices cars and workplaces to rid them of the stench of cigarette smoke through passive smoking through the loss of earnings of those in care and those who have died unnecessarily and through the incalculable damage caused to whanau throughout the nation both Pakeha and Maori—make the tax take look downright miserable by comparison. 
Productivity and growth are not just about hourly output. I recall the comments of New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Maori vice-president Sharon Clair who said that productivity need not be a negative perception if the benefits of productivity are shared. We need to enhance our potential in areas like marine farming and aquaculture reduce development that exploits or puts at risk the health and well-being of our communities and do all we can to achieve real progress for our children for future generations for the nation and for our planet. 
I end my speech by paraphrasing the words of Dr Martin Luther King—I hope I can do justice to them. As long as there is poverty I can never be rich. As long as there is such illness amongst my people and their life expectancy is so wretchedly low I can never myself be totally well. I can never be what I ought to be until my people are what they ought to be. That is the way my world is made and such is the way I see it.