Gallagher Martin: Taxation (Personal Tax Cuts Annual Rates and Remedial Matters) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
Gallagher Martin: Taxation (Personal Tax Cuts Annual Rates and Remedial Matters) Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee 
[Volume:647;Page:16294] 
MARTIN GALLAGHER (Labour—Hamilton West) 
: 
 I rise with great pleasure to support and speak to this Budget. I want to make just two observations. Rodney Hide talked about buying back the rail in typical cynical terms. The real cost to this country— 
Hon Member 
: What a dork! 
MARTIN GALLAGHER 
: The dorks are on the other side of the House. It has taken 9 long years for them to support any tax relief for the people of this country. They are the ones who opposed corporate tax cuts. They are the ones who opposed KiwiSaver. They are the ones who opposed the Working for Families package. It has taken them 9 long years to support tax relief. If I were to use that vulgar and rather lowlife term “dork”—it is beneath my dignity—then I would apply it to members on the other side of the House. 
Let me talk about rail. I am proud this Government has bought back rail. Shame on those members opposite who sold it off in the first place! Shame! Shame! Shame! Thank goodness we have a Government that has reinvested and will continue to reinvest in our infrastructure. 
I want to make mention just briefly of Simon Power who actually believe it or not in spite of his politics is quite a nice man. He is a genuine man. He said earlier that no one cares about the debates of 25 and 30 years ago in terms of the Springbok Tour. I give a more recent example. One of the issues we do care about—and we will deal with it in another debate—is Iraq. When Simon Power was National’s spokesperson on defence or foreign affairs he said that where America goes we should go. The implication was that he was criticising us because we did not join the great mission in Iraq. A more recent debate and something we care about was about the body bags that would by implication come back from that country. That is a far more recent debate that many New Zealanders do actually give a damn about. 
Let us look at the record of this Government. There has been a 25 percent real increase in household income from 2000 to 2007. Debt is down from 30 percent to 20 percent of GDP under our Government. Labour has delivered $4.6 billion in effect in tax relief so far. It has done so through Working for Families KiwiSaver and corporate tax reductions—all things that members opposite voted against. It has taken them 9 long years to support tax relief for the people of this country. One wonders about the genuineness of their support at this particular moment. 
Over the next 4 years this Government will deliver $10 billion of extra relief to working families and older people in this country. Indeed by 2011 half of all households will be $50 better off. Who said his party’s tax cuts would be “north of $50”? Actually now it is more than $50. It is changing. Is it going backwards or forwards? I do not know. But if members had looked at Bill English on  
Agenda 
 they would have seen a “hum” and a “ha” and an “um” and a “we don’t know”. What is the real straight answer? 
From 1 October this year superannuation is effectively up $45 a fortnight for a couple. We talk about these economically challenging times but 1000 new jobs have been created per week since 1999. That is not bad. I want to look at the record and the context of this Budget in relation to very difficult international times economically. Members have only to turn on Fox Television CNN or BBC World Service to know that these are very challenging times. When we see reports about rice farmers in Thailand guarding the rice crop we know some of the pressure on the world in terms of food prices. We certainly know the pressures in terms of international oil prices. 
Here are the figures. I can tell members that 377000 more jobs have been created giving more families a stake in our economy. Unemployment has fallen by more than half and it has stayed below 4 percent for 4 years. A thousand jobs a week have been created and fewer people are relying on a working-age benefit. Child poverty rates are falling dramatically and inequalities in health outcomes are finally starting to narrow. I am proud of a Government that did not take 9 long years to vote for tax relief for the people of this country. 
Bill read a second time.