Smith Lockwood: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
Smith Lockwood: Customs and Excise (Motor Spirits) Amendment Bill — In Committee 
[Volume:623;Page:18616] 
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH (National—Rodney) 
: 
 Speaking to the title and commencement clauses of this legislation I say that was an appalling pathetic speech by—was that a Minister? That was not some back-bench Labour lackey with no understanding of what has gone on in this country; that was the Minister of Customs. 
Hon Maurice Williamson 
: He’s in charge of the bill! 
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH 
: Rick Barker is in charge of the legislation and he has no idea when it comes into effect. He has no idea about the levels of spending on road construction in this country in the 1990s. That was just an appalling contribution by a Minister in charge of legislation. 
Let us get a couple of facts straight. In the 1990s the whole motorway construction from Albany right through to Puhoi was funded to be carried out as a single construction under the National Government. Under the National Government it was built all the way past Orewa. Then Labour was elected and construction stopped because the Government did not want to spend any money in the area north of Auckland. Labour wanted the money to be spent somewhere else. In Labour’s efforts to spend the money somewhere else it set up committees—and is still setting up committees—and nothing has happened. Meanwhile taxpaying New Zealanders are stuck in gridlocked traffic. 
A worse performance by that Minister Rick Barker was that he did not even know when his own bill commenced. He said that Part 2 comes into effect on 1 April and it does not. That was correct when he introduced the bill. As it was originally drafted Part 2 was meant to come into effect on that date. The extra 5c per litre in petrol tax was meant to be imposed on 1 April but of course we all know what happened then and it is amazing that the Minister did not seem to know that. Dr Cullen became all nervous about it because as we all know fuel prices went up. Dr Cullen became all nervous about a further 5c per litre charge going on top of the high fuel prices just before the general election. So let me inform the Minister who is now back in the chair that this part does not come into being on 1 April. It will come into being when Dr Cullen says it can. 
That is about the most cynical move that I have ever seen. We will have taxation coming into effect in this country when Dr Cullen decides it is politically expedient for it to do so. That is pretty disgraceful. It is appalling that the Minister did not even know that when he made his contribution a few moments ago. 
Hon Rick Barker 
: I did—I knew that. 
Dr the Hon LOCKWOOD SMITH 
: If the Minister as he is now saying from the chair knew that why did he say that Part 2 comes into effect on 1 April? It does not come into effect on 1 April. That was in the bill that he drafted. But of course Dr Cullen had the Finance and Expenditure Committee change that. The Labour members on the select committee under Dr Cullen’s instructions have changed it so that Part 2 now comes into effect when Dr Cullen decides it will come into effect. We will have an increase in taxation when Dr Cullen decides on it. It cannot be before 1 April but the tax will come in when Dr Cullen considers it politically expedient to tax motorists further. 
I object to that as does the National Party. We find that to be a dishonest approach to taxation. If Labour thinks that is the best way to fund roading construction—which is desperately needed—it should bring the law in and let the voters have their say on it instead of having a weaselly clause that enables the Government to delay the extra 5c per litre in petrol tax until after the election. It will not matter how high petrol prices are after the election. If Labour wins the next general election we can bet our bottom dollar that the day after it wins lo and behold the cost of petrol will go up by 5c a litre. But it will not go up before the election unless there is a massive reduction in petrol prices and I do not think that that is about to happen. 
Parliament should not be asked to pass such politically cynical legislation especially when the Minister in charge of the bill did not even know what he was doing.