Ross Jami-Lee: Taxation (Annual Rates for 2015-16 Research and Development and Remedial Matters) Bill — Second ReadingText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeRoss Jami-Lee: Taxation (Annual Rates for 2015-16 Research and Development and Remedial Matters) Bill — Second Reading[Sitting date: 20 October 2015. Volume:709;Page:7386. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JAMI-LEE ROSS (National—Botany): I am happy to follow Mr Nash’s very long contribution on this bill. It was a well-thought-out contribution and I am sure it will go down in parliamentary history as one of the better speeches that he has given in this House.We are discussing the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2015-16 Research and Development and Remedial Matters) Bill. There are some very good proposals in here that will enable companies to gain greater access to funds to enable them to conduct greater research and development and that is something that I think this Government feels quite passionately about. Ensuring that we get greater research out of our companies will mean that we can continue to be a country of innovation a country that sees great opportunities on the horizon and it will enable our businesses and our individuals in this country to tackle them head-on and do very well in doing so. I am sure during this debate we will hear much more about it.But I just want to talk a little bit about one of the clauses in this bill. It is clause 65. It is actually the annual rates of income tax for 2015-16. Often when we talk about the annual rates bills we do not always talk about the actual annual rates because they are usually just glossed over a little bit. But I think it is important to put on the record again in this House that this is a Government that believes in leaving money in people’s pockets because we believe they are best to do with their money as they see fit. We are not the big-tax Government like Labour used to be. We are not the Government that would have seen huge spending increases based on the 2008 Budget that the Labour Government put in place. We are the Government that has got Government spending under control. We are the Government that has posted a surplus for the first time in many years. Despite the fact that the global financial crisis has hit the country despite the fact that the world has seen difficulties we have been able to steer this country through some difficult economic times and New Zealanders appreciate that.The annual tax rates that we see in this bill go towards funding Government expenditure so it is quite appropriate that we discuss this in this bill. The annual rates that we see through this bill go towards for example the extra funding for those in hardship through the $25-a-week extra payment through the two welfare benefits. The extra funding we see coming through in this tax bill goes towards extra funding for education. The extra—the half a billion dollars actually that was put into extra early childhood education funding. The extra funding that we are putting into the health system—that is going towards for example the programmes announced this week for tackling obesity. We are a Government—Tracey Martin: You cut the funding. You cut the funding in 2009.JAMI-LEE ROSS: —that is getting on with the job. We are a Government that is delivering good economic policies for New Zealand. And I know those members do not like to hear it because they are interjecting on me but—Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: So back to the bill.JAMI-LEE ROSS: —every dollar collected through the tax rates that clause 65 in this bill talks about goes towards good quality Government spending and I am happy to support that.