Macindoe TimHon TIM MACINDOE (National—Hamilton West): Thank you Madam Chair. I'm very grateful for the call.Hon Member: He's front row.Hon TIM MACINDOE: Well I thought it was time I brought some gravitas to this particular debate. I want to begin with a compliment to the Minister and that is for the fact—Hon David Bennett: The silver fox.Hon TIM MACINDOE: No.CHAIRPERSON (Poto Williams): Order Mr Bennett. I heard that comment.Hon TIM MACINDOE: I'm tempted but I shan't write Mr Bennett's compliment to the Minister into the Hansard record. The reason I wanted to pay the Minister a compliment was that he did at least take a call a few minutes ago because quite often in debates of this nature we find that Ministers sit in the chair and refuse to answer the questions. But having thought Oh well I'll acknowledge that." I have to say how disappointed I was by the quality and the brevity of those answers. I want to put quite a number of extra questions to the Minister. Yes Mr Twyford you can look as quizzical as you like but your answers were both brief and inadequate. For that reason I have every intention of putting considerably more to you.The first question relates to the very significant point that was made by my fine colleague the member for Tukituki when he drew the committee's attention to the fact that there is concern that the impact of these particular excise increases will more than outweigh any benefit that parents of school-age children in New Zealand might enjoy from today's announcement of the cessation of donations to schools from decile 7 and below. So I would like the Minister who was doing some calculations a few moments ago to tell us if Mr Yule is correct and if so what the differential would be for the average motorist particularly in rural areas or provincial areas such as Mr Yule's electorate where parents quite often have to drive long distances. The same is true of Mr Falloon's electorate and those of many of my colleagues around me.The second thing that I want to ask the Minister is why he is ramming this particular measure through under urgency here in this post-Budget debate when he must be aware of the fact that motorists have experienced huge pain at the pump repeatedly during the period of his Government. The prices per litre especially here in the Wellington region and also in the South Island have risen dramatically under this Government. I'm pleased to say that as a member for the Waikato they haven't been quite as dramatic—in fact we enjoy some of the lower petrol prices in the country—but I do feel for my colleagues and everybody who resides down in the South Island who don't have that particular opportunity to pay slightly lower prices. Why are they being denied the opportunity to put their concerns through a select committee process? Is it really so important that this bill needs to be rushed through under urgency? If the Government was really willing to be upfront about their intent to the New Zealand public surely they would be prepared to defend their policy at the select committee and to give perhaps the opportunity—I think it's Mr Goldsmith who has an amendment to defer the introduction of this particular measure. If his amendment could be adopted and the measure could be deferred then we could have a select committee process when the Government would have an opportunity to hear from New Zealanders and to outline their thinking on it.I also want to ask him what his answer is to the member for Coromandel Scott Simpson who I thought made an excellent point when he pointed out that as the driver of an electric car he and others who are in that category many of whom are upper income earners are not being asked to share the pain that the purpose of this tax is going to impose on the vast majority of motorists. The whole point of the excise as we read in the explanatory note to the bill is to provide additional funding to the National Land Transport Fund established under the Land Transport Management Act 2003. So there's nothing in there about saying that only a certain category of motorists should have to bear the burden. Surely the Minister could explain why he is singling out those who are still driving petrol and diesel-driven cars fossil-fuelled cars—why are they being singled out under this particular measure? If it was a climate change measure or something it might be understandable but it's not. It is simply another tax grab from a Government that makes a specialty of tax grabs.I'll take another call if I can later on but I also want to ask him whether he will support the amendment in the name of the Hon Paul Goldsmith because I do believe it would give us far more time to consider this measure appropriately."