McNair Craig: Taxation (Annual Rates Maori Organisations Taxpayer Compliance and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — In Committee 
McNair Craig: Taxation (Annual Rates Maori Organisations Taxpayer Compliance and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:607;Page:4224] 
CRAIG McNAIR (NZ First) 
: 
 I do admire the Minister of Finance. He is able to make an argument about a tax system such as this one based on race sound quite— 
Rodney Hide 
: Almost reasonable. 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: He can make it sound almost reasonable. Speaking as a member of the Finance and Expenditure Committee along with a few of the other members here such as Lockwood Smith and Rodney Hide New Zealand First was concerned and my leader the Rt Hon Winston Peters was concerned that one section of the New Zealand community is receiving an advantage over other groups. We expressed a minority view in the report because of our concern. It is our intention to move an amendment that all sections of the New Zealand community that can take advantage of the proposal relating to basic tax rates of 19.5 percent should be treated in the same way. We cannot support the bill in its current form because of its unfair and race-based system. 
I reiterate that New Zealand First wants to treat all New Zealanders equally and I have prepared some amendments to give effect to this view. I shall quickly read them out. The first one states: “That the words ‘Subpart 1—Maori authorities’ be deleted as shown on page 18 line 9 and be substituted by the following words ‘Subpart 1—Maori authorities and applicants’ ” The second one states: “That on page 21 between lines 6 and 7 the following words be inserted ... ‘Election to become applicant’—‘(1) The applicant whose tax characteristics and tax rates are similar to those of a Maori authority as referred to in this Act shall be entitled to make a similar application to the Commissioner as a Maori authority can under this Act by giving notice to the Commissioner as a Maori authority is entitled to do in terms of paragraph HI 1C of this Act and shall receive the same treatment as a Maori authority is entitled to receive in terms of this Act.’; ‘(2) The words ‘applicant’ or ‘applicants’ shall include all persons legally entitled to be called a legal person in terms of any and all Inland Revenue Department and any other tax legislation including but not exclusively individuals companies incorporated societies charitable trusts sole traders partnerships and any other parties liable to pay income tax.’; ‘(3) The provisions of Subpart 1 as applicable to Maori authorities shall apply to an applicant.’” 
In many ways the amendments answer very well the question that Gordon Copeland the United Future MP asked. The Federation of Maori Authorities welcomes these amendments too and is looking forward to the Government supporting them. 
I reiterate that one of our Maori members Edwin Perry is the chairman of a trust that has 4000 acres. He has 80 beneficiaries and they have said to him that they do not want to be treated any differently from anybody else. We as a party also believe that having different rules based on race will just create and continue the dependency programme that this Government has. We feel this very strongly as a party that believes in one country and one people. Maori soldiers are not treated any differently from any other New Zealanders when they are in the field. They excel exactly the same as other soldiers who have enlisted with them and they get their jobs on merit. This is the same way that our tax system should be. We have a soldier in our own party. In fact we have a couple of them. We have Bill Gudgeon here and he had to work just as hard as anybody else to get exactly what everybody else got no matter what race they were. 
Hon John Tamihere 
: Tell him to get up and take a call. 
CRAIG McNAIR 
: OK. The lion in the media is starting to roar. But we all know that he has proven to be a lamb in Cabinet.