6. Government Financial Position—Tax Rates and Crown DebtGRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of FinanceGovernment Financial Position—Tax Rates and Crown Debt6. GRANT ROBERTSON (Labour—Wellington Central) to the Minister of Finance: Is his reported statement from May this year correct that Bill English says if he and John Key disagree on what to do with next year's expected surplus – pay down debt or cut taxes – what the Prime Minister wants the Prime Minister gets"?Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance): No the statement is not correct. Grant Robertson: Does he agree with the Prime Minister's statement when asked how much was needed for a meaningful tax cut: "$3 billion I reckon."?Hon BILL ENGLISH: That certainly would be meaningful but really only a National-led Government can contemplate that because we focus on controlling expenditure and making sure it gets results and that is why we have got surpluses so we have got some choices.Grant Robertson: Does he think now is the right time to offer a $3 billion tax cut when there are people living in cars and garages and when he himself has identified "intractable social problems" that need to be addressed after 8 years of Government?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The Government has been seeking to address intractable social problems from the day it took office in 2008 and has made considerable progress on changing the way the Government does its job so that we are not just shovelling money out—the way Labour always says we should—but focusing on getting better results for people not bigger budgets for agencies.Grant Robertson: Does he believe now is the right time for a $3 billion tax cut?Hon BILL ENGLISH: The member will just have to wait and see. We have got annual accounts coming out on Thursday a half-year update before Christmas and then by Budget 2017 the member might just find out what the Government thinks about that.Rt Hon John Key: Does the Minister of Finance think that he might have choices on how to spend the Government's resources when the economy grows at 3.6 percent and has one of the fastest wage growths in the last 8 years when the Government's books are back in surplus with the unemployment rates—Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! The question has been asked; it does not need to be a speech. Hon BILL ENGLISH: As often happens as a result of our discussions I can say to the Prime Minister yes yes and yes.Grant Robertson: Is paying down debt and investing in infrastructure a greater priority for him than tax cuts?Hon BILL ENGLISH: It has been up to now that is for sure. The Government's infrastructure programme ranging from revamping our social housing stock through to rebuilding our old schools through to roads through to digitising government has grown very considerably in recent years and that has clearly been a higher priority than tax reductions.Grant Robertson: How much actual debt has he paid down?Hon BILL ENGLISH: I think debt as a proportion of GDP is beginning to shrink and the member can be reassured that with rising surpluses actual nominal debt will start reducing.Rt Hon Winston Peters: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order! I require substantially less interjection from my immediate left.Rt Hon Winston Peters: The finance Minister was asked how much debt he has paid off. He did not answer the question. Mr SPEAKER: And I agree he certainly did not answer in actual numbers; that is true. He answered proportionately. The member who asked the question at the time did not object to it. If he had I would have—Rt Hon Winston Peters: Well I am.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member may well object but he did not ask the question and it is certainly out of time now but I would have expected—[Interruption] Order! If Mr Robertson had immediately stood to his feet I might well have given him that opportunity. Grant Robertson: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. At what point in time have you issued a ruling about the immediacy of that? There was no time at all between when you asked members on this side to be quiet and when Mr Peters stood up to make a point of order. Mr SPEAKER: No. There certainly was time. I have not made such a ruling. I was busy dealing with one of the member's colleagues who was interjecting quite loudly at the time. For the benefit of the member if he wants to ask the question specifically again I will give him the benefit of the doubt.Grant Robertson: How much in dollar terms has he paid down debt?Hon BILL ENGLISH: None yet and if I took that member's advice none ever."