Jones Dail: Border Security Bill — Second Reading 
Jones Dail: Border Security Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:617;Page:13170] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 This bill is a kick in the teeth for the exporters of New Zealand for the workers of New Zealand for the trade unions of New Zealand and for everyone out there earning a dollar all day 24 hours of the day and night. It is a kick in the teeth for the sailors who go on the ships that take our exports overseas. It is a kick in the teeth for those people who load our exports onto aeroplanes around New Zealand and send them overseas. No wonder New Zealand First will be opposing this legislation! 
Not too long ago the Labour Party was saying in its election manifesto: “Funding such core responsibilities has a far higher priority for us than the meaningless dribs and drabs of tax cuts announced by our opponents.” That was a Labour Party election policy in 1999. Where did I get that quote from? It was in an answer to the House by the Rt Hon Helen Clark the Prime Minister when on 8 April she was asked a question by Peter Brown the deputy leader of New Zealand First. How could that have been a high priority for the Labour Party in 1999 but no longer a high priority today? 
A Government is elected to ensure the peace order safekeeping and security of a country. In ensuring the security of a country we ensure its borders from the point of view of both imports and exports. Barely 2 years ago there was an import bill in which the Labour Party introduced a $20 million tax on imports. Now it is going the other way and imposing a tax on our exporters. That tax will cause a great deal of difficulty to Air New Zealand and to shipping companies and the like—not only because of the tax itself but because of how it will be calculated. Added paperwork—added administrative work—is always a problem when yet another tax is introduced. 
The Labour Party has reneged on its views in the past. The Prime Minister was asked why the Government was introducing the tax on this occasion. She said that policy was honoured in full in the Government’s first term in office; it was not repeated in the 2002 manifesto. As I have always said about political parties it is not what they say in their manifestos that is important; it is what they do not say. One has to read a political manifesto not from the point of view of what a party says it will do but what is left out of it. That was left out of the manifesto at the last election and the lesson is here for us all. If the Labour Party leaves something out of its manifesto we can be absolutely certain that it will do it next time round and this is a classic example of that. 
We see no reason why a single dollar should be imposed by way of this legislation. It has traditionally been the responsibility of the State. During the Second World War did the Government impose a tax because there was a war on? Of course not! That was the responsibility of the State. During the First World War did the Government impose any tax? I do not know of any tax that was imposed then. Just because something happens in the United States does that mean we have to impose a tax? 
In the Second World War London was burning. We had all sorts of problems. There were U-boats off the coast of New Zealand. Did we impose a tax? No way! It is a specious argument for the Labour Party to suggest that because something has happened in one country overseas we should somehow impose a tax as a result. That is an absolutely pathetic argument. As correctly stated it is just another sneaky tax by this minority Labour Party Government. It has a $7 billion surplus and it will hand out money left right and centre next week. 
Where does that money come from? It comes from exporters and all those people who work their hearts out to try to earn a buck and make a profit. What will happen to them? They will be banged up for another $19.5 million approximately give or take. We are never quite sure how much the give is but we can be sure that the Government will take it again and again. It is another classic example of this Labour Party taxing business left right and centre. 
New Zealand First will be attacking this legislation in the Committee stage next week. We are looking forward to putting forward various amendments to try to overturn the actions of this minority Labour Party Government and its sneaky tax grab that is kicking all workers in the teeth. We will be vigorously opposing this bill in the Committee stage.