Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
Dean Jacqui: General Debate 
[Volume:667;Page:14650] 
JACQUI DEAN (National—Waitaki) 
: 
 It is nearly 2 weeks since across-the-board personal tax cuts kicked in and by now people in my electorate the electorate of Waitaki and right across the country earning a salary or wage are noticing a boost in their pay packet. And they are telling me about it. They are coming into my office in Oamaru and telling me about the increase they are experiencing in their wage packets. I can tell members that they are pretty happy about it. 
People in my electorate are noticing a real lift in their income. We said we would do that—the National Government said it would do that—and we delivered. Even taking the rise in GST into account the average family in the Waitaki electorate and throughout New Zealand is about $25 a week better off than they were before 1 October. That is more money for the average family to save and more money for the average family to put against their mortgage if they have one or against their debt and the average family is doing just that. 
But the 1 October tax cuts did not benefit just the average family; people on the average wage are almost $15 a week better off and that includes the increase in GST. Those people also are using that extra money in their pockets to save to pay off their mortgages and to pay off their debt. People on superannuation people receiving Working for Families and those people on benefits had an increase of 2.02 percent to compensate for the rise in GST. National campaigned on that and it delivered. 
The tax cuts are part of the Government’s major reform of the tax system which will tilt the economy towards productive investments savings and exports which is of particular interest and importance to my electorate. The reform will tilt the economy away from the consumption borrowing and unsustainable Government spending that was the very hallmark of the big tax big spend Labour Government that New Zealand endured for 9 long years. 
The National Government is proving itself to be a good economic manager. Against the backdrop of the worst global recession since the 1930s it has maintained benefits maintained student support maintained Working for Families and locked in national superannuation at 66 percent of the after-tax average wage. National promised those things and the National-led Government has delivered. 
The Government remains focused squarely on building a sustainable long-term recovery. The recovery will be built on export and investment and not on the debt and spending we saw over the last decade under the unlamented previous Labour Government. 
So what is Labour’s track record? Phil Goff is just plain wrong in saying that New Zealanders were better off under Labour. In the few years running up to 2008 the rate of inflation was regularly above 3 percent and it peaked at 5.1 percent in the year to September 2008. 
Hon David Cunliffe 
: Oh yes! 
JACQUI DEAN 
: Those Labour members do not like it. They do not like hearing those figures but those are the figures. 
David Bennett 
: Tell us again. 
JACQUI DEAN 
: The member would like to hear the figures again so I will tell him. In the few years running up to 2008 under Labour inflation was regularly above 3 percent and it peaked at 5.1 percent in the year to September 2008 with no compensation to anybody. 
Annual inflation to September this year was 1.5 percent under the National-led Government. When Labour left office the economy was deep in recession and the annual rate of inflation was 5.1 percent. There was no compensation for anyone and real after-tax wages were falling. In fact they fell by 1 percent in those 2 years while overall food prices jumped by 15 percent and house rents went up by 6 percent.