McClay Todd: General Debate 
McClay Todd: General Debate 
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TODD McCLAY (National—Rotorua) 
: 
 What an enjoyable debate this has been over the last hour or so! I have been listening to members from both sides of the House. I can sum it up pretty quickly. On this side of the House there is direction confidence and a plan for action. On the other side of the House—well we will come to that in a moment. 
Members opposite are very very confused are they not? We have heard members opposite talk about tax spend and borrow. That is all they have for the New Zealand public. After 9 years in Government we are still hearing the same old thing—tax spend and borrow. Of course we did hear about the re-branding that Labour is going through. Not only is it about going out and listening to everyday New Zealanders; it is also about re-branding. How do Labour members want to brand themselves? They want to be funky and they want to be cool. There is a bit of metro in there and certainly a lot of retro. They said they needed to be creative as well but they left out the words “desperate” and “lost”. After the results of the last poll I see a bit of depression amongst them and certainly they look a little bit sad. 
What we get from members opposite is “borrow big and hope for the best”. If they ever found their way back into Government their “borrow big and hope for the best” strategy would lead to bankruptcy—not just for everyday New Zealanders but for the Government’s accounts. The poll results of the last few days tell us that New Zealanders recognise that fact but the last people in this country to work that out are the members opposite. Long may that continue I suggest to them. 
I want to talk for a moment about taxes. As I said Labour members have said that if Labour came back into Government it would raise taxes and borrow more. No amount of cosmetic surgery can hide the fact that Labour’s reckless economic policies are stuck desperately in the past. But I will give Labour a little bit of credit where it is due. Labour has a twin-pillars policy for the economy—that is more debt and higher taxes. I say to the House and to anybody else out there who may be listening that if Labour came back into Government it would put taxes back up. 
In Labour’s 9 years in Government it promised to give tax cuts. It did not deliver although it gave us the “chewing gum tax cut” which was enough to buy some chewing gum. But then it took that tax cut away as well. At the very end of its 9 years when the last bit of life was almost dragged out of the old dog almost at its very death it gave us a tax cut but that was too little too late. The Leader of the Opposition Phil Goff and his finance spokesperson would mortgage our families’ futures to pay the bills—it is all about borrowing. 
After 9 years in Government Labour was dragged kicking and screaming into giving tax cuts. Members opposite have reverted back to type extremely quickly and they are calling for taxes to be increased. On  
Breakfast 
 this morning the Leader of the Opposition Phil Goff said that Labour would reverse any tax cuts that the National Government delivered. I repeat that Labour would reverse any tax cuts that the John Key Government delivers. It would leave GST at 15 percent and would continue to borrow. What a strategy! What a policy for disaster! 
Earlier in this debate Pansy Wong spoke about ethnic New Zealanders. She said they are aspirational. The ethnic New Zealanders in my electorate are aspirational and the polls show us that that is the case. She told us that ethnic New Zealanders want to do better they want tax cuts they want a fairer society and they want rewards for their hard work. They are getting that from this Government and the polls are telling us that things are very good for the Government. 
Cam Calder also spoke about the previous Labour Government. He was right in part but I want to correct him slightly. He said that if something moved Labour members taxed if it continued to move they regulated it and if it stopped moving—well he was wrong. If it stopped moving they gave it welfare. There was a lot of stoppage in our country over those 9 years. This Government is focusing on what New Zealanders can do not on what they cannot do. We are backing everyday New Zealanders and helping them to get on with their jobs. 
Kanwaljit Bakshi spoke about the Indian community in New Zealand. He said they feel they have a secure future. They are confident in John Key and our Government. They recognise that we have done a lot of work in the area of law and order. They know we will do a lot more. They are confident that the economy and the economic future of New Zealand will get better. Mr Bakshi quoted them directly. They said: “Thank God Labour is gone.” and by golly it has gone. 
I want to talk for a second about Labour’s “Axe the Tax” bus trip. Phil Goff used taxpayers’ money to drive all over the country in a big red bus and the slogan was “Axe the Tax” but it should have been “Keep the Tax”. 
The debate having concluded the motion lapsed.