Tolley Anne; Ross Jami-LeeLAND TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT (REGIONAL FUEL TAX) AMENDMENT BILLIn CommitteePart 1 Amendment to Land Transport Management Act 2003CHAIRPERSON (Hon Anne Tolley): The debate on this part includes the schedule.JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): Madam Chair thank you for the opportunity to speak on the bill in Part 1. Can I highlight at the outset that this side of the committee will be taking a lot of opportunity—if granted by you of course Madam Chair—to examine this bill. The reason why I want to highlight at the outset that we'll be taking a lot of opportunity is because I think it needs to be put on record that this bill has not been through a particularly normal or lengthy parliamentary select committee process. This bill is a bill which would give a council the power of taxation and it also is a bill that gives the Minister some very considerable powers to put in place greater taxes than were otherwise expected or debated earlier last year. This bill gives the Minister quite a lot of powers in that regard and needs to be examined quite closely.I think it's also important to highlight that when this bill went through the select committee process it was a truncated process the select committee had a shortened report-back time the select committee was in quite a hurry and because of that shortened report-back time it did not have the opportunity fully to examine issues that it otherwise would. The reason why we're in this position where we have had a bill which has had a shortened report-back time and has not had the normal thorough select committee scrutiny is because this Government wants to put in place a regional fuel tax by 1 July.Another reason why I think this House needs to examine this bill very closely is because the regulation-making powers in the bill are extensive. And the reason why it needs thorough examination is because in many of the comments that the Minister Phil Twyford has made publicly and leading to last year's election and leading up to the introduction of this bill the Minister has made comments which make it sound as though this bill is only limited to Auckland and that make it sound as though this bill limits and restricts regional fuel taxes to 10c a litre.In fact the regulation-making powers in this particular bill give extensive opportunity for the Minister to both have regional fuel taxes outside of Auckland—and I do note that much of the commentary and much of the explanatory note around the bill says it's only an Auckland issue. But in fact the bill does allow regional fuel taxes on a nationwide basis and it's only buried within the bill as their one line restricting it to Auckland—but only initially. In future years there's the opportunity for regional fuel taxes around the country. This isn't an Auckland regional fuel tax bill; it's a nationwide fuel tax bill. And this bill whilst having been sold by the Minister as solving an Auckland issue is actually a detailed How this can be applied across the whole country?"I also think it's important to note that whilst this bill says regional fuel taxes would only be 10c a litre the Minister through Order in Council could put in place regional fuel taxes at any point he wants. There is no legislative restriction in this bill to restrict it to 10c a litre because by Order in Council using a "Henry VIII" clause the Minister can extend regional fuel taxes to 12c 15c or 20c a litre by the stroke of a pen. That would not take place with normal parliamentary scrutiny. Taxation-making powers through Order in Council—granted if this bill is passed—are extensive. And that means the committee should not just have a perfunctory consideration of this bill; it should in fact go through in much detail how this bill would operate. My side of the committee have got some Supplementary Order Papers—and more will be coming—because we are so aggrieved by the way in which this bill is written that we're going to be submitting a number of Supplementary Order Papers which attempt to mitigate the great damage that this bill would have.Regional fuel taxes are one way in which transport infrastructure could be funded but we also have not had an extensive opportunity—also because the Minister struggles to answer questions in the House—to consider alternative mechanisms for funding transport infrastructure. The Minister in the chair right here at the first opportunity to tax Aucklanders and put in place a bill that would tax the rest of the country through regional fuel taxes has not given thorough consideration to the alternatives out there. He's confirmed in the House that he hasn't actually thoroughly considered whether the Auckland Council could find the savings that his former colleague now the Mayor of Auckland promised he would have. He's not giving consideration to whether the desires for light rail and the desires for many transport projects that that side of the House wants are actually going to bring—[Time expired]"