Copeland Gordon: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Copeland Gordon: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:623;Page:18620] 
GORDON COPELAND (United Future) 
: 
 I want to take a brief call on the title debate on the Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill. I think it is fair to say that there are some things in Parliament that we agree about and some things we disagree about. The thing we agree about is the fact that New Zealand desperately needs new roads. I must say that I am absolutely amazed at the capacity of our fellow countrymen to put up with the shocking roading conditions in this country particularly in Auckland. 
I was reminded during John Key’s speech of my days before I entered Parliament when I used to regularly fly up to Auckland for a board meeting on Pah Road about halfway between the airport and the city. I would get up in the morning in my home in Wellington get dressed do all the usual things have breakfast get a cab to the airport and get a plane to Auckland. I would then get a cab from the Auckland airport to my meeting at Pah Road and when I got there I would find that we could not start the meeting because a couple of my fellow directors had not arrived from the North Shore. 
That used to happen regularly. I am absolutely staggered that we in this country have this great capacity to put up with intolerable roads. Really the people of this country have just about had it up to the eyeballs with all of us in this Parliament and with every single party. They are looking to us to show some leadership and to have some roads built. Whatever anyone may think about that 5c at least there is the express intention to get on and do the job. But I say to the Government and to the other parties: “Look let’s get on and start building some roads. Let’s cut through the red tape let’s use the PPP thing that’s in the transport legislation and get on with the job. If necessary let’s borrow some money but for goodness sake let’s get on and start building some roads particularly in Auckland.” 
It may be that the Resource Management Act is holding it up and Gerard Eckhoff might be right about that being the problem. Everybody here identifies a problem but it is up to this Parliament to start to solve the problem and get on and start building the roads. That is my first point. 
The second point is that we disagree on something in this Parliament and that is that every party in this Parliament with the single exception of the Labour Party believes that it is time to cut the rate of tax that is being levied on the citizens of this country. Even the Progressives and everybody else here will keep at the Government because a Budget is coming up and the fact of the matter is that everybody is saying and I agree with them entirely that New Zealand households are burdened with huge debts at the moment—mortgages credit cards you name it and the rate of tax that we are imposing on our fellow citizens is too heavy. It has become a heavy burden on their shoulders. 
It is about time that the Government said: “Look we recognise that. We know that we have a great dosh of money in the bank.” It is time the Government started to take seriously the action of cutting taxes in this country. 
I appeal again to the Government as I have throughout this debate and say to it that today we are increasing a tax but it has a Budget coming up—in May the Government and the Labour Party in particular will have an opportunity to decrease the tax burden on this country. It should take the opportunity to do that while it is presented because it will be the last opportunity before the election. If the Government does not do that and if New Zealanders do not see a tax cut I say: fine we will go to the ballot and let the people decide once and for all whether they want lower taxes or to keep on going down the road with a Labour Government to an ever-increasing impost against their pocketbook. I think that most people in New Zealand have said “Enough is enough” when it comes to taxes. Let us try to reverse the trend and start reducing them.