Brownlee Gerry: Taxation (Urgent Measures and Annual Rates) Bill — Third Reading 
Brownlee Gerry: Taxation (Urgent Measures and Annual Rates) Bill — Third Reading 
[Volume:651;Page:293] 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Minister for Economic Development) 
: 
 Well it seems that the outrage from the left is back. They have rediscovered in part who they think they represent and then have come up to this House with all sorts of screaming rhetoric about how everybody and anybody who disagrees with them is somehow against anybody and everybody who agrees with them. That is no way for a political party to make progress particularly when we are so close to the time when the last election was held. I cannot help thinking that underlying all of this is the absolute shock that Labour members and former Ministers have that they could find themselves turfed out of office by a party that went out and very openly up front publicly and with nothing hidden told New Zealanders what they intended to do and then—to the outrage of the Labour Opposition—came into the House and actually did it.  
We have actually moved to lower taxes and to pay for it by getting rid of a 15 percent tax credit on research and development which frankly is not the end of the story—that has been made very clear. We think it was a poorly targeted way to recognise that. We have also told New Zealanders that we want KiwiSaver to be more accessible to be open to more people and we are making those changes so that its affordability for a greater number of people can be assured. All these things were made clear to the very people whom Labour now seems to think we have somehow misled. Well I do not think so—I do not think so. This is very good legislation and I am very pleased that it will pass through this House very shortly. Workers up and down this country will be waiting for their payslips to get the confirmation that the choice they made for a Government was exactly the right one.  
It is also worth noting I think that although Labour members are saying “Well we were offering tax cuts and they are included in this particular package.” they are not recognising that their record was to promise tax cuts and then not deliver them. After hiding so much of the true state of the New Zealand economy for the last 5 or 6 months denying that there is a problem with accident compensation—which costs every New Zealander— 
Hon Members 
: Ha ha! 
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE 
: They are laughing—they are laughing because they think that is a huge joke; that is one they put over top of us and all those sorts of things; they are now saying they would not have come back into this House and lowered taxes. So it is a little bit rich to say that all the new National Government is doing is what they would have done; their record speaks for itself.  
I want to comment on some of the vitriol that has come from the other side of the House directed at the Maori Party. I think it has been utterly disgusting—utterly disgusting. But it typifies what has gone wrong with the relationship in this country the longstanding relationship between Maori and the Labour Party. There is no respect whatsoever no understanding whatsoever but just this clarion call that “You guys should be with us! If you are not then you will pay a price.” That is just an unacceptable way for any Parliament to conduct itself. The respect of one member for another should be at the highest possible level.  
This has been a strong debate it has been a long debate and I think it has been a well-considered debate. It has exposed the weaknesses in the Opposition and the great strengths in the new Government. I look forward to supporting the bill.