3. Fiscal Strategy—Tax Plan and Effect of Proposed Fuel TaxesHon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of FinanceFiscal Strategy—Tax Plan and Effect of Proposed Fuel Taxes3. Hon PAUL GOLDSMITH (National) to the Minister of Finance: Does he accept that the Half year Economic and Fiscal Update shows $23.1 billion in surpluses over the next four years additional borrowing of $10 billion in the next three years and that the latest Crown financial statements for February 2018 show an additional $494 million is available; if so why is the Government increasing taxes and not keeping its promise to reduce the cost of GP visits for all New Zealanders on 1 July this year?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON (Minister of Finance): In answer to the first part of the question no because the member has chosen two different starting points both of which he describes as the next three or four years. What I do accept is that we are running a strong economy and we'll deliver surpluses. In answer to the second part of the question the final shape of the Government's revenue and expenditure will be revealed on 17 May.Hon Paul Goldsmith: If the more than $33 billion available to him is not enough to solve the problems that he sees would $50 billion be enough or how much more does he think he needs?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: Oh look the Government has inherited a series of significant social and infrastructure deficits. They will take more than one Budget to resolve and so I say to the member that had his party not left the health system in such a state of disrepair had not underfunded education and had not undermined other social services perhaps the sum of money he said at the start might be enough. We'll see on 17 May.Hon Paul Goldsmith: Isn't it true that no matter how much tax hard-working New Zealanders pay he will always want more?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: What I want is for New Zealanders—all New Zealanders—to pay their fair share. I want multinational companies to pay their fair share unlike the previous Government who didn't seem to care about that. And I want all New Zealanders to know that their public services will be there for them when they need them unlike the legacy the previous Government left.Hon Paul Goldsmith: What other promises does he intend to break?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I have not broken any promises but I do recall the previous Government campaigned rigorously on not increasing GST and what's the first thing they did? They increased it.Andrew Bayly: Does he consider the planned fuel tax's increase to be significant enough to lead to higher living costs for families because they will have to pay more for food and other household items?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I consider the proposed excise duty increase as one that will help support the provision of a modern transport system and I probably feel the same way about that that Gerry Brownlee and Simon Bridges did when they increased it by 17c over a six-year period. Andrew Bayly: Is Freightways' chief executive Mark Troughear wrong when he says new fuel taxes will force consumer prices up and therefore New Zealanders' wallets would not just be taking a hit at the pump if a fuel tax was introduced?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: I believe the impact will be similar to what it was when the previous Government increased it by 17c over a six-year period. But what this Government has done is taken untargeted and poorly focused tax cuts and put that money back in the pockets of low- and middle-income families so they can afford the increases in costs of living. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Can I ask the Minister as to whether it's a fact arising from his third answer that in the nine years the last Government increased the fuel tax six times?Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: That is in fact the case—six times up 17c—and amazingly out of that regional and rural New Zealand saw the quality of their roads decline. That's not going to happen under this Government.