Tabuteau FletcherFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): It is a pleasure to rise on behalf of New Zealand First to speak specifically to the revenue component of the appropriations here today. I want to touch on two things if time allows. The first is the issue around fiscal drag which was one of the major legislative changes that came about with the Budget earlier this year and was touched on in appropriations in this bill.The point I would like to make is that it has been 7 years—2010 was the last time the tax thresholds were addressed and so for 7 years the National Government has done nothing about those thresholds. And for a party—Chris Bishop: That's not true. We cut taxes in 2010.FLETCHER TABUTEAU: —that claims to be tax friendly—you can come back at me in your turn Mr Bishop—it has done nothing. And so in that time people's real incomes have decreased and it is has put a lot of pressure on households.I would like to make the point actually that these Government members have been in their contributions of late very proud of the fact that middle- to high-income earners have been burdened with the bulk of the Government's tax revenue receipts. It seems to be absolutely contrary to the Government's stance on tax and tax revenue.And then I would like to make the point actually further—if I can find my notes in quick-step time; yes I can—that even with the Budget changes the Government changed the second threshold and they raised it from $48000 to $52000. I would like to point out that actually those changes after 7 years do not even bring that threshold in alignment with the inflation rate over that same period of time. So even now after a Budget and these appropriations here we have middle-income earners who are still paying more tax than they were in 2010.The next point I would like to make is very much directly related to the numbers in the appropriations and I speak specifically to the investigations appropriations which is $173 million which is a significantly high number. It is about IRD investigating tax and non-tax compliance and so we think that speaks at least on the surface to an IRD that is well funded to undertake those investigations. And then you couple that actually with about $400 million—just under $400 million—tied to IRD's business of ensuring that people comply with or meet their obligations to pay their tax.So now we are getting up to half a billion dollars in Government spending in terms of investigations and people meeting their obligations. It does not seem to reconcile well with the announcement and certainly the latest turmoil coming out of IRD around the 1500 staff being laid off over the next 5 years. It certainly has not started well. It does not bode well for the process. It seems to have been fear that concerns have been shown in the way that the staff are already being treated in this process but it speaks to a Government that seems to be spending a lot of money on making sure that people meet their obligations and investigations. And yet in this Budget and in these appropriations we have a Government that talks about a $100 million windfall if it enforces or undertakes to meet the obligations of the new OECD tax compliance regime around multinationals and base erosion and profit shifting.I only have a very short period of time but I would like to point out to the Government members in these last few seconds that the tax experts in New Zealand have spoken to a sum of at least $7 billion to $11 billion of tax not being paid by New Zealand and international multinational corporates here in New Zealand. We are spending a lot of money on that but I suggest that it is going in the wrong direction and the Government needs to do more. Thank you.