Scott AlastairALASTAIR SCOTT (National—Wairarapa): Thank you sir. I'd like to comment firstly on what Deborah Russell mentioned about this bill vis-à-vis choice—giving people choice. She couldn't even spend a minute to describe the choice that was given to consumers of petrol but I'll tell you what this bill gives no choice to the people in Wairarapa specifically and to the regions more generally. They have to spend this extra tax on their petrol to get from A to B. There is no other choice. There is no option to get on your pedal bike and cycle to your rugby practice or to walk or even get public transport. We've got to get in cars and cars use petrol. In the provinces you will find that incomes are below average—below those incomes in the cities. This bill affects those people those lower-income people more aggressively than those with higher incomes and we find those people in the provinces. We find in the provinces those people who drive older cars less efficient cars—cars that use more petrol per kilometre. We have people who are unable to turn up to work some days because their petrol tank is empty. They've put the 20 bucks in on a Monday and that's gone by Thursday night. They don't turn up to work on Friday and now they are at risk of not turning up to work on Thursday because there's still only 20 bucks and the petrol price continues to rise and rise. And where does the money go? It goes straight to Auckland. This is a regressive tax. This is also by the way a regional fuel tax and the Prime Minister said earlier that there were going to be no more regional fuel taxes on her watch. When the uproar and the protests at the Auckland regional fuel tax hit her right between the eyes she said—SPEAKER: Order! Order! Back to the bill. ALASTAIR SCOTT: —No more regional fuel taxes." This affects the regions of the Wairarapa Wellington and all provinces. This is a national road tax across the whole place and it affects the provinces. It's so ironic. We've got a prince of the provinces over there—a prince of the provinces. It will be interesting to see him stand up—Brett Hudson: He supports it. ALASTAIR SCOTT: He supports it. How can he possibly support it when this hits the provinces harder than those who have choice in the cities? This is a terrible bill. This is a bill that taxes the poor harder than those who sit in this House who can afford an extra two bucks five bucks or 10 bucks. There is no concern for those people who are at the bottom of the ladder. There is no concern for people who have limited resources and who do have further to travel who do live in the provinces and who do have to spend half an hour going in and out to rugby practice to netball and to schools every day. There is no option. There is no choice of public transport. There is no choice of walking. There is no choice of cycling—Dr Duncan Webb: No choice of walking? Do they not walk in the Wairarapa? ALASTAIR SCOTT: How long would it take you Mr Webb to walk from Tīnui to Masterton—how long would it take you? You wouldn't have a clue—you wouldn't have a clue. Mr Speaker would be able to cycle at least but you wouldn't even be able to cycle. It's a disastrous bill. It is a regressive tax. It's not just petrol that it affects obviously. It affects your beer and your bread. Everything—everything—that's on the supermarket shelves is affected by this bill. It affects the—Dr Duncan Webb: Does it affect your chardonnay? ALASTAIR SCOTT: —transport costs of everything that Mr Webb you use in your household. It's inflationary. It gives no more money to wage and salary earners to compensate for that inflationary effect. It is a terrible terrible bill and I'm very pleased to be speaking against it. SPEAKER: Now before I call Jan Logie I'm going to ask Dr Jian Yang to remove his advertisement. Thank you."