Nash Stuart: Taxation (Annual Rates Trans-Tasman Savings Portability KiwiSaver and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
Nash Stuart: Taxation (Annual Rates Trans-Tasman Savings Portability KiwiSaver and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:666;Page:13466] 
STUART NASH (Labour) 
: 
 I want to make one thing perfectly clear to this Committee that Mr Foss and the Hon Peter Dunne have got wrong. Labour never supported an increase in GST. Labour will never support an increase in GST. This bill is not about an increase in GST. If this bill were about an increase in GST we would be opposing it with every single fibre in our bodies as the vast majority of New Zealanders have done. I want to make that abundantly clear now. We did oppose the increase in GST and we would do it again. 
But we do support this bill and its Supplementary Order Papers and there are three things I would like to comment on specifically. This bill is necessary to ensure the integrity of tax legislation. It is also about doing business and making the transfer of savings funds across the Tasman relatively easy. The second point is what an absolute shambles this whole implementation of GST has been. The third point is to ask where the hell the Government’s plan is. What is the plan for savings and what is the plan for this economy? 
I have a couple of things I would like to say beforehand. Mr Foss stood up and spoke about honesty. I can tell this Committee that Phil Goff our leader would never stand in front of the nation and say as Mr Key did that he would not increase GST then increase GST. It must make Mr Foss feel rather uncomfortable whenever he watches the video and sees Mr Key say to the nation: “National will not increase GST.” Yet National members have the nerve to stand up and lecture Labour on honesty. That is the reason why Mr Key will be a one-term Prime Minister and why Mr Goff will be the next Prime Minister of New Zealand. It is because he has integrity and he is an honest man. 
Then we had Mr Gilmore. He was unbelievable. He stood up and asked why we would take GST off rates as it was only $25 a week. He said: “My household can bear that.” I challenge Mr Gilmore to live on the median wage in his electorate for 1 month. I think it is about $30000. I challenge him then to come back to this House and tell us that $25 a week is not much money. 
Then we had Mr Tremain and Mr Foss from the Bay stand up and shout it down. They are so out of touch that they do not think the people of Hawke’s Bay are concerned about an increase in their rates. I challenge Mr Tremain and Mr Foss to hold a public meeting and explain to the people of the Bay why an increase in GST on their rates is necessary. No one in the Bay wants an increase in GST on their rates. That increase in rates will not go towards the city council’s coffers at all. It will go to the Government. The people of Napier will pay more in their rates but not one single cent of it will go to the City of Napier. It will go to the 6 percent of people in Napier who earn over $70000. So those members should not talk to me about honesty. 
As for Mr Gilmore wow he is one man who is way out of touch. He is on $134000 and he stands up and says that an increase in his rates will not make any difference to his household. I can tell Mr Gilmore that he is one of the lucky few in this country who is on a salary of that level. He is one of the lucky few who is about to get a tax cut of approximately $100 a week. Those people in his electorate who are on the minimum wage will get about $3 a week. Mr Gilmore said that $25 a week means nothing. He should try to live on the median wage. 
I would like to talk about what this bill does and the reason why we support it. The bill introduces changes to the tax rules to allow New Zealanders returning home from Australia to bring their retirement savings.