1. Budget 2017—Family Incomes PackageNUK KORAKO (National) to the Minister of FinanceORAL QUESTIONSQUESTIONS TO MINISTERSBudget 2017—Family Incomes Package1. NUK KORAKO (National) to the Minister of Finance: How will the Family Incomes Package in Budget 2017 help families get ahead financially?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Finance): The $2 billion a year Family Incomes Package in Budget 2017 will help families get ahead through a combination of tax threshold changes family tax credit increases and additional support through the accommodation supplement. The tax threshold changes mean that anyone earning over $22000 receives an additional $11 per week or $20 per week more for those earning over $52000. When combined with the increases to the family tax credit the accommodation supplement and the simplification of removing the independent earner tax credit 1.3 million families are better off by an average of $26 per week under the changes coming into effect on 1 April next year.Nuk Korako: What further assistance is the Government providing to assist families with their housing costs?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Increases to the accommodation supplement maxima and changes to the geographic areas that they apply to will further assist families to meet their housing costs. This is a very important part of the package despite some critics' attempts to ignore it. For example the income of a family living in Waitakere with a 16-year-old child and with one partner earning $46000 per year will be 36c per week down from the tax and Working for Families changes but they will benefit by up to $100 or more per week when you take into account the whole package. [Interruption] Mr SPEAKER: Order! Can I just mention to the members on my left that I need substantially less interjection than I am getting at this early stage of question time.Nuk Korako: How does the Family Incomes Package benefit superannuitants?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: The changes we are making to the tax system will have flow-on benefits to around three-quarters of a million New Zealand superannuation recipients because of the link between after-tax wages and New Zealand superannuation. For a married couple New Zealand superannuation will increase by $13 per week on 1 April next year because of the tax changes on top of their normal adjustment. This will mean that there will have been a 35 percent increase in superannuation since we came into office. That is over twice the rate of inflation. In addition around 15000 superannuitants with high housing costs will see an average increase of $29 per week from the accommodation supplement changes to help them with their housing costs.David Seymour: Does the package in combination with the tax changes announced by him last week as part of this Budget shift more of the burden of Government and tax on to higher-income earners? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: I have seen an analysis that suggests it is a slightly higher incidence at the higher end. Nuk Korako: What support has he received for Budget 2017 and the Family Incomes Package? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Budget 2017 is receiving a wide range of support from around the country. I was most pleased to hear the comments from young families on TV and in the newspapers about how getting some extra money every week will make their lives easier. I am also very pleased to see colleagues across the House including the Greens and New Zealand First understand that this package is about helping families get ahead. They voted in favour of it last Friday and I would like to thank them for their support. David Seymour: How does this expansion of the Working for Families policy gel with John Key's comments that Working for Families is communism by stealth"? Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Well the member is quite young but some of us older ones are able to remember that we have had family benefits and other packages for families in place in this country since at least back through the 1970s—in fact I can remember my parents getting the family benefit—so there has always been some form of assistance for people with young families. This is one example of it existing today in terms of the family tax credits and it is the most efficient way of supplying extra support to low-income parents with young children. Rt Hon Winston Peters: Does the Minister of Finance have any confidence in his Budget being passed seeing as we have got such a lion of anger in the form of the ACT Party member asking questions every day challenging its veracity and its economic thinking? Mr SPEAKER: The first part of the question is in order. Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Weirdly of course it is a strange day indeed. But I would like to thank the member for his support which is ensuring that we have got some votes to spare in passing the Family Incomes Package. David Seymour: If the Minister will indulge my youthful lack of historical knowledge could he please tell me how long has it been the National Party that is tasked with expanding taxes and transfers and the welfare State? Mr SPEAKER: Order! There is no responsibility for the National Party by the Minister."