Moroney Sue: Customs and Excise (Budget Measures—Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMoroney Sue: Customs and Excise (Budget Measures—Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee Third Reading[Sitting date: 16 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10362. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]SUE MORONEY (Labour): It is a pleasure to take a call on Part 2 of the Customs and Excise (Budget Measures—Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill because this is where we find out who gets away with it. Who by way of a refund does not have to pay the tax that is propping up the National Government’s supposed surplus? Well here is the part where it panders to its mates of course. Part 2 is where it is pandering to its mates. While I am talking about panders that is actually what Gerry Brownlee resembled when my colleague Trevor Mallard asked him a question about why the Government was not doing this by regulation and he actually put it to Mr Brownlee that later on the Government would bring in regulations to take the taxes up even higher. Mr Brownlee sat there like a giant panda and did not respond. I have seen giant pandas that have been more communicative than the Minister of Transport was when that issue was put to him by Mr Mallard.But back to Part 2—Hon Trevor Mallard: Hey have we got our panda yet?SUE MORONEY: Yes well—Hon Trevor Mallard: Has John Key’s panda delivered yet?SUE MORONEY: I think we have got the panda bit well and truly inHansard now. So Part 2 tells us that it is people who have agricultural equipment and commercial vehicles who are going to escape paying for this illusion of a Budget surplus from the National Government. Of course that is National pandering to its mates but it does not get away with it completely.The other part that is propping up this illusion of a Budget surplus for the National Government is its keeping ACC levies higher than they need to be. Of course one of the ACC levies that is higher than it needs to be at the moment—and will remain so for 2 more years under this Budget from National—is the one on the motor vehicle account. So that is the registration that everyone pays on their ACC levy. Even though some people will get a refund on their petrol tax in Part 2 they will still be paying on average up to $134 more a year on the registration for their motor vehicle. Not only are they going to be paying for the National Government’s promise of a Budget surplus every time they go and fill up at the gas station—every time New Zealanders fill up at the petrol station I want them to stop and remember that they are paying through their pockets for that Government’s promise of a Budget surplus because that is clearly what is happening in this bill. In Part 2 some of them get it refunded but it is not the ordinary New Zealander who gets that refund; it is people who own agricultural or commercial vehicles. I think that tells us just exactly where the priorities of this National Government lie.The Government is of course charging every business and every worker in this country more than it needs to in ACC levies every week through their pay packets as well. That is the other way it is propping up its Budget surplus. Up to $2 billion more a year than ACC said that it needed in order to keep its scheme going is being charged by that Government to every single worker and business in New Zealand. But of course Part 2 of this bill tells us that although that is happening for every worker and every business in New Zealand when it comes to petrol tax some of those businesses—not the workers but some of the business owners—will be getting a refund under Part 2 of this bill. They are people who operate agricultural and commercial vehicles. They are going to get—well actually we think they might be double-dipping because not only will they get the 3c and then the 6c and then the 9c back for every year but also under Part 2 they are going to get the GST back on that.I think it is a very salient point that has been raised by this side of the House about whether that is double-dipping or not. I would ask the Minister in the chair to get to his feet and clarify that issue. No more giant panda impersonations Mr Brownlee—up on your feet. Tell us about the GST in Part 2. Is it double-dipping or not? That is important because you are pandering—sorry not you Mr Chair of course. You are not pandering but Mr Brownlee is pandering to his mates in this part. We need to know whether he is pandering to them in a way where they are able to double-dip on the GST refund or not. This is important because it is only a small number of New Zealanders who get to use the refund in Part 2. It is not your everyday New Zealander. It is not the families whom we on this side of the House are concerned about who are using their private vehicles day in and day out taking children to school taking them to sports events and getting to work. All of those everyday uses of vehicles are not going to actually get this refund under that part.