Robertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRobertson Grant: Oral Questions — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 24 May 2016. Volume:714;Page:11103. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]4.GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: What is his answer to Fran O’Sullivan’s question “Was John Key’s brain fart on the tax front an involuntary exercise or was it calculated”?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): I would say she got it wrong.Grant Robertson: When he took tax cuts off the table in his pre-Budget speech was he expecting the Prime Minister to put them back on the table 3 days later?Hon BILL ENGLISH: What I made clear is that the fiscal conditions in this Budget had not been met for tax reductions and of course the Opposition will just have to have a look at the numbers in the Budget this week to see whether they think those fiscal conditions can be met in the future.Grant Robertson: What is his response to Westpac economist Dominick Stephens who said: “If the plan is for $3 billion of tax cuts as the Prime Minister said down the line then that makes the accounts that he will deliver this week irrelevant and obsolete.”?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I would disagree with him.Grant Robertson: Why do you disagree with him?Hon BILL ENGLISH: Due to the hard work of the Public Service the members of the various coalition Governments and the New Zealand public this Budget will indicate that New Zealand has choices out ahead of us that very few other developed countries have. They simply will not have choices because their public finances are not yet in a sustainable position—ours are.David Seymour: When was the last time that the Government of New Zealand cut taxes with the Labour Party in power and who was the Minister of Finance at the time?Hon Members: There’s no responsibility for that.Mr SPEAKER: Order! No. It is an information question to the House. I think there is some responsibility to answer it.Hon BILL ENGLISH: This Government’s tax package in 2010 cut some taxes—that is the taxes on things we like like work savings and investment—and pushed up taxes on something we think we had too much of which was consumption. Prior to that I think it was Dr Cullen who announced tax cuts in 2008 which could not be fulfilled because of the recession. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The level of interjection now on my left-hand side is simply too high. If I want to specifically mention a couple I could do that but I am going to have to ask for some cooperation. Otherwise I will be dealing with it more severely.Grant Robertson: Are tax cuts a priority when New Zealanders are living in cars and garages?Hon BILL ENGLISH: As we have indicated there will not be any tax cuts in this Budget. There are other priorities to deal with but there is a whole range of priorities. On different days the Opposition says it is elective surgery. On other days it is student debt. On other days it is budgeting services. Today it happens to be people living in cars. The Opposition does not seem to have any idea of what it thinks the priorities are. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!Grant Robertson: In light of that answer if New Zealanders are still living in cars and garages in 2017 will he still propose tax cuts?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member is getting well ahead of himself. He can be assured that the level of public support for the Budget for 2016 I am sure will be positive and considerable and that will give this Government—because of its sound financial position—plenty of choices for dealing with pressures that might be there next year.Grant Robertson: Did the Prime Minister tell the Minister of Finance that he was going to put tax cuts back on the table just 3 days after he had taken them off?Hon BILL ENGLISH: We completely disagree with the member’s characterisation of what the Prime Minister said and the Prime Minister and I and Ministers regularly have strategic discussions.