Sowry Roger: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
Sowry Roger: Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee Third Reading 
[Volume:608;Page:5393] 
Hon ROGER SOWRY (Deputy Leader—NZ National) 
: 
 This bill is certainly a misnamed bill as we talk about the title of the Customs and Excise (Alcoholic Beverages) Amendment Bill. It is grossly misrepresented in the Chamber tonight. Because speaker after speaker from the Labour Party the United Future party and the Green Party have said the reason that Labour United Future and the Greens are supporting this bill is that it will stop young people from drinking. That is what Labour member after Labour member has said. Helen Duncan who knows nothing about young people has sat opposite us in the Chamber and interjected time after time saying that mothers will be happy about this bill. That is what she said—mothers will be happy. 
I say to Labour members that I have just been on the phone to one of the largest liquor shops in this country. The owner of that shop when presented with this bill via the fax told me that young people buying 23 percent vodka and 23 percent gin will now go and buy ready-to-drinks and alcopops because the tax on those is adjusted only by the rate of inflation. So we have made it an advantage to buy ready-to-drinks and alcopops over buying the bottle of spirits. His view was that this would make it easier for young people to consume alcohol because that is what they will do because they are not affected at all with the ready-to-drinks and alcopops. 
So I asked him what was the major group affected. He said it was dessert wine port sherry and a drink that I have not heard of in my forties called Madeira. But I am sure that young people around the country are queuing up and drinking Madeira and Muscat! So those are the drinks that are affected. Meanwhile good old ready-to-drinks and alcopops the things on which Jim Anderton said when he introduced the bill that a message would be sent to young people will be cheaper. Well the message it sends to young people is to not buy a 750ml bottle of vodka but to go and buy a six or 12-pack of alcopops or ready-to-drinks. Buy it already mixed because it is a lot cheaper. 
I ask Labour members where the amendment to increase the tax on ready-to-drinks or alcopops is. Because the same liquor shop owner told me tonight that he could not believe this. There have been rumours through the industry for weeks that in the Budget the Government would target young people’s drinking and it has not done it. The Government has left the ready-to-drinks off. So when Helen Duncan says that mothers will be happy I tell her that mothers drinking port sherry and something called Madeira will not be happy. Those people will be paying a lot more for their drink from tonight because Mr Anderton and the Labour Party need the money. 
This has nothing to do with young people drinking—not a thing; because if it had the Government would target the alcopops. This is all to do with putting some bad news through before the Budget and that is why this bill should be renamed to reflect the deception that has been forced. I ask the United Future Party in particular whether it will be out there. I heard Judy Turner’s speech. She said that this bill is what we have been waiting for because it targets young people. Well Judy Turner from United Future should come back down to the Chamber now and admit that it does not do that.