Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: General Debate 
Lotu-Iiga Peseta Sam: General Debate 
[Volume:666;Page:13991] 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) 
: 
 I take this opportunity along with my parliamentary colleagues to offer my condolences sympathy thoughts and prayers to those who have been affected by the Canterbury earthquake. It has been debated often since the day of the earthquake but I offer some short words on what has occurred in Canterbury. I spent some time in Canterbury during my youth. I did my professional legal studies there and I saw firsthand during that time the resilience and the fortitude of the people of Canterbury. We see it in a number of areas when we visit the place: on the sporting field in businesses and in schools. I know that the people of Canterbury will be back from this natural disaster and I wish them well. 
I take up some of the issues that the previous speaker the Hon Nanaia Mahuta touched on in terms of what this Government is doing about the economy and the plight of people across this country. I have been across my own electorate of Maungakiekie and I have talked to business owners residents and superannuitants. It is tough; it is tough right across this country from an economic perspective. But they tell me that they are pleased with the leadership of our Prime Minister the Rt Hon John Key; they are pleased with the leadership of National in bringing this country out of the recession; they are pleased with policies that are inclusive and are about promoting growth and opportunities in New Zealand; and they are pleased about the upcoming tax cuts on 1 October. 
The previous speaker said that the tax cuts do not affect the poor. I correct that speaker by saying that 73 percent of earners will face a top tax rate of 17.5 percent. I repeat for her benefit that 73 percent of earners will face a statutory income tax rate of 17.5 percent or less. That is about distributing the benefits of tax cuts across the board. 
I spoke at a small-business conference in Mount Wellington in my electorate of Maungakiekie. Small-business owners are the lifeblood the heartbeat of this country; over 95 percent of companies in this country are small to medium sized enterprises. The small-business owners said to me and to David Clendon the Green MP who was there with me that they do not want more compliance they do not want more taxes and they do not want more regulations that hinder their ability to transact and to export goods overseas. It is critical to our future and the future of our children that we have an economy that pays for itself and that we have an economy in which exports and the export sector are growing. Under the previous Government for 5 consecutive years exports contracted and decreased. 
Aaron Gilmore 
: No no! 
PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA 
: That is right I say to Mr Gilmore. That is what happened under the previous Government. I have no issue with expanding some of the social services in this country. But they must be paid for by an export sector that contributes to the growth of this country. 
The previous speaker also mentioned electricity prices. As the spokesperson on energy that member will know that under the previous Government there was a 72 percent increase in electricity prices over 9 years—72 percent. But the rate of inflation went up by only 24 percent. We are a Government that is taking action on many of today’s problems.