Tabuteau FletcherGENERAL DEBATEFLETCHER TABUTEAU (NZ First): I move That the House take note of miscellaneous business. It is wrong and it is misleading for that side of the House to talk about a surplus. It is a mythical conversation that comes straight off Planet Key". I could go on for hours today about funding costs about how this Government has actively and deliberately cut costs and provisions to everyday households in New Zealand day after day after day. It is making decisions in the moment based on balancing a supposed Budget that will cost us on this side of the House a fortune to repair in the near future.The Government members do not know what they are doing. They are old-school bean counters who are lost in the 1980s. They have lost their way. For example the public watched and they believed when the Government told them that there was no more money for more front-line police on the streets of New Zealand. It was not until Opposition parties in this House finally supported by councils up and down this country and supported by the New Zealand public said "No we cannot take any more of this—we need more police." that the Government finally decided to change its mind. The reality is that at this actual moment right now we should not be talking about a billion-dollar surplus. What we should be talking about and what those on that side of the House need to acknowledge is that right at this moment this Government has in fact run a billion-dollar cash deficit—quite the opposite of what it is claiming to the New Zealand public. Here is another kicker: although the Government talks about a surplus Government debt has grown almost exponentially under its watch—almost exponentially. It depends on who you ask and who you talk to but essentially the Government picked up next to no debt. There was no Government debt when it took over the reins. Now here we are today—and there is no doubt there is debate but there is no debate about how gigantic that number is: it is anywhere from $60 billion to $100 billion today. That is the mastery of money that this Government claims to have. What that represents for everyday New Zealanders—and again these members need to be cognisant of this—is over $13000 of debt for every man woman and child in New Zealand because of the Government's so-called plan for the economy. The audacity of the Prime Minister to talk about tax cuts beggars belief. It is mind-boggling. Prime Minister make our streets and our homes safe again. Do not let the lines for our hospitals go round the block for a third time. Look after New Zealanders first before you talk about something like tax cuts. To be fair I think the Prime Minister is truly perplexed. I think he cannot understand why there is money coming in for his mates but it is not being spread evenly across the whole country. I think he is genuinely confused about the level of inequality in New Zealand. Let me give you a piece of advice Prime Minister: there is no such thing as the trickle-down effect. You and your mates making a truckload of money is not to the benefit of everyday New Zealanders Prime Minister. Think instead about the concept of trickle-up which saved post-war Western economies. Make everyday Kiwis wealthy make everyday Kiwis better off and watch as businesses grow and make bucketloads of money themselves. Today in the House we saw a Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister comfortable with the fact that hard-working Kiwi wage and salary earners bear the brunt of National's failed economic plan. That National Government is happy to sit still and do nothing to address the daylight robbery that is being perpetuated on this country because those on that side of the House think that when business is not paying its fair share of tax it is somehow good for the rest of us. Thank you."