Paraone Pita: General Debate 
Paraone Pita: General Debate 
[Volume:647;Page:16156] 
PITA PARAONE (NZ First) 
: 
 Tena koe Mr Assistant Speaker. Tena tatou e te Whare nei. I wonder whether those senior citizens who are watching and listening to this debate have noticed that there has not been one mention about what the parties each of the previous speakers represented would do for them. That is one of the many things that make New Zealand First different from other parties in this House. The contribution of our senior citizens is immeasurable. We believe that in return our country has a duty to acknowledge that through adequate superannuation and adequate health-care and social services. In most other parts of the world and indeed in other cultures age is respected for its wisdom and enlightenment. New Zealand First supports that philosophy. 
Well it is Budget time and every New Zealander will be asking the question: what is in it for me? We know many senior citizens are having trouble making ends meet with the dramatically rising cost of food power and transport. So too are many families. We are not fair-weather friends for seniors—unlike some parties in this House. Thanks to New Zealand First superannuation is now paid at the rate of 66 percent of the net average wage for a married couple. On last election night the rate was just over 63 percent. We will push for a 68 percent rate after the next election because the way that superannuation is calculated means that senior citizens are always playing catch-up. The Government has promised tax cuts in this year’s Budget and we have had concerns raised with us at the impact of those cuts on the rate of superannuation. 
Let us turn to progress on the SuperGold card. This card was launched about 8 months ago and the number of business partners has risen dramatically from 188 businesses at the launch of the card to nearly 800 business partners with over 4000 business outlets now. That indicates just how significant and how popular the SuperGold card has been seen to be not only by the businesses of this country but by those for whom it is intended—that is our senior citizens. In just over 6 months the New Zealand SuperGold card has now become larger than the cards operating in several Australian states and they started well over a decade ago. Businesses are on board there are tens of thousands of people using the card and it is making a real difference for our senior citizens. The SuperGold card was never designed to replace local discount booklets but to complement them and I believe that it has certainly done that. 
The time has now come for Government services to be enhanced. Budget 2008 will contain $18 million of funding that will ensure that SuperGold cardholders will travel free on public transport during off-peak times during the day. New Zealand First has also secured a significant funding boost of $4.5 million in this year’s Budget to ensure greater access to hearing aids. The response of a member from the National Party during question time certainly is an indication that that member would benefit from having a SuperGold card and the assistance it will give in terms of hearing aids. 
Both Labour and National have missed the boat when it comes to tax cuts. If New Zealand First was presenting the Budget tomorrow we would introduce some quite radical changes. These are difficult times and they require measures that are both simple and effective. We would introduce a tax-free threshold for the first $5200 of income earned. 
Dail Jones 
: How much? 
PITA PARAONE 
: Five thousand two hundred dollars. People who get up to $100 a week through a part-time job or whatever else they may be doing would get that tax-free. But most important it represents a tax cut that everyone would benefit from. You see with that tax-free threshold in place married couples on New Zealand superannuation would receive an extra $21 a week while those on other rates would receive between $12 and $14 a week. 
Dail Jones 
: How much? 
PITA PARAONE 
: Between $12 and $14. This is a tax cut that would really make a difference. 
We would also bring in an incremental reduction in the level of the goods and services tax on all products. GST started at 10 percent; we want to gradually move it back to that figure over 3 years. In the first year we would drop it by 0.5 percent in conjunction with the tax cut mentioned previously and then drop it by 1 percent a year for the next 2 years. The total cost over 3 years is about $4.5 billion but that is less than the cost of the tax cuts that have been promised now. We actually believe it would be less than $4.5 billion because the money returned to people on low and fixed incomes would be recycled creating more tax revenue. The combination of a tax-free threshold and lowering GST to 10 percent would have the effect of increasing people’s purchasing power and lowering their living costs.