Hudson BrettBRETT HUDSON (National): I rise in support of this Taxation (Budget Measures: Family Incomes Package) Bill a bill and a set of actions and initiatives that will target assistance where it is most needed which is at our low and middle income earners—our low and middle income families in particular. Whether it is through adjustments to tax thresholds or changes to Working for Families payments—also and I will not traverse them but there are obviously some changes to an accommodation supplement as well—we will see 1.34 million Kiwi families receiving on average $26 a week more to help live their lives to help feed clothe and run their families. It is an economic dividend of a strong economy with well-managed Government books and one that is projected to remain strong for years into the future. We are looking to share that with the people who could most do with our assistance and that they are those families who are on lower or middle incomes.It has been pretty sad to see and hear over the course of this bill's passage through this House albeit being quite quick that the Opposition members in this Chamber and outside of it—and particularly leaders of Opposition parties—have sought to paint this set of measures as tax breaks for the wealthy on the basis that there will be $20 a week in the hand for someone who earns $52000 a year or more. It made me wonder whether perhaps the Opposition members do not understand the distinction between changing a tax threshold which this bill does and changing a tax rate. If you change the rate—and look I will not belabour the point but you could argue that there may be circumstances in the future where that might be a good idea but it is not what we are looking to do here now—then those on even higher incomes would receive even more back in their hands. But under changes to a threshold someone receiving $52000 will get $20 a week extra and someone who receives any amount more than that whether it is a couple of dollars or many many more dollars still only gets the same $20 a week extra in their hand.So what the Opposition and its leaders have done is they have sought to redefine what it is to be wealthy—the level at which you are considered to be rich. They have redefined that as $52000. Some years ago Sir Michael Cullen in this Chamber set a level of what he considered to be rich—and I will not use the full term that he used—at $60000 and he changed the tax rate for that income level. That was 1 April 2000; that $60000 today would be the equivalent of just over $86600. The Opposition and its leaders want to set a level of what it is to be rich at $52000—$34000 less than that. Although average wages have grown and grown faster than inflation under this Government that $52000 is $6000 a year less than the average wage and they want to say that that is the level of being rich.What is even worse than that if you consider any member of this House members across the House—those backbenchers they earn a salary of $160000 they get an expense allowance of almost $17000 they get a $28000 accommodation allowance to live in Wellington and they get more than that again. That is easily an income of over $200000—the leaders get more again—and they have got the absolute gall to say to someone on $52000 that they are rich. That is an absolute disgrace. It is one party in particular there but it is an Opposition that is out of touch with hard-working Kiwis the issues and challenges in their lives and their aspirations. Those members simply do not understand them; they do not understand what is important to them. New Zealand voters will have the opportunity later this year to reflect that this Government does care about them does care about giving assistance to help them with their lives and to reflect on how the Opposition members have turned their backs on them.The Labour Party members are going to vote against this bill. For one you cannot possibly know the outcome of the vote until it is held so they do not know yet what the outcome of this vote will be. But what they are saying is they are prepared for those people those Kiwis to not get any of that assistance just so they can preach their politics in this House. They have turned their backs on the hard-working people of New Zealand. They shun them they treat them with absolute disdain and on 23 September all of those New Zealanders will have the opportunity to treat Labour exactly the same way. They can consign Labour members to some tiny little corner of this Chamber where they belong. I commend this bill to the House.