Woolerton R Doug: Taxation (KiwiSaver and Company Tax RateAmendments) Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
Woolerton R Doug: Taxation (KiwiSaver and Company Tax RateAmendments) Bill — Second Reading In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:639;Page:9486] 
R DOUG WOOLERTON (NZ First) 
: 
 Unfortunately the deputy leader of the National Party is doing exactly what speakers from the National Party have been doing all day—that is dealing with these things in cold isolation. He knows as the National Party knows and as we all know that this is one of a raft of measures one of which is the Working for Families package. Working for Families was a tax break but it was a targeted tax break. It was a targeted taxation concession and we in New Zealand First agree with that. It is not about giving back and it is not about putting people on welfare; it is about targeting taxation. 
I was alarmed to learn—and I had not realised this even though I spent a fair number of years in the National Party—that we have to go back to 1966 or thereabouts to find the last time the National Party gave a tax break to companies. I did not realise that. In all my years in the National Party I have to say that I was very proud of the fact that I believed we were a low-tax organisation. I believed that we were business-friendly. I believed in all of those things. I believed that we were good for families. I believed all of that. But it took me until many years later—after 11 years of being in this House—to find out that it was good old “Kiwi Keith”— 
David Bennett 
: What are you doing? 
R DOUG WOOLERTON 
: I am supporting a tax cut; National is voting against it. It was back in the days when dear old “Kiwi Keith” was the Prime Minister that National last gave a tax cut to the people of this country. 
In the last election National ran a campaign on tax cuts aided and abetted by the Exclusive Brethren—maybe they put their hands up National’s back—yet National has had no history of tax cuts since 1966. I am not trying to shove that up National; I am just saying I am surprised that given this wonderful opportunity National does not grab it with both hands in order to rectify the situation by at least going into the next election saying: “At least we voted for a tax cut. There’s been nothing from National since 1966 to 2007 but we voted for a tax cut in 2007. There’s our track record and we will cut some more after the 2008 election.” But National is not even doing that which is sad. I did not even know of that history and I think it is a bit unfortunate. 
A lot of this legislation over a number of bills lines up our taxation law with that of Australia. It is cutting the corporate tax rate to line up with the rate of Australia a country with which we must be competitive. It is Australia’s savings—its mountain of money—that is being used to come over and buy our companies. New Zealand First’s concession in terms of the global economy is that we would not even mind if Australians came over here—accent and all—and started up new businesses. But they do not do that. They come over here and buy things like banks and buildings in the central business district of Auckland; they do not come here and involve themselves in entrepreneurial activity. Thank you.