Williams Andrew: Taxation (Annual Rates Foreign Superannuation and Remedial Matters) Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWilliams Andrew: Taxation (Annual Rates Foreign Superannuation and Remedial Matters) Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 18 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15999. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]ANDREW WILLIAMS (NZ First): I take a call on behalf of New Zealand First on the Taxation (Annual Rates Foreign Superannuation and Remedial Matters) Bill. Many good hard-working low and middle income New Zealanders must be looking at legislation such as this and wondering what is in it for them. I guess they would be reflecting on the fact that 3 years ago in 2010 the National Government provided some $2 billion in tax cuts to the wealthiest 10 percent of people in New Zealand. The good average people of New Zealand will be asking why the likes of the Prime Minister received a cut of $1000 a week in the tax he was paying and why the likes of Paul Reynolds the head of Telecom—its chief executive—got a cut of something like $5000 a week in tax on his income. Why is it that this National Government is so intent on helping the rich and its mates but good average working Kiwis are being left out in the cold?Once again this Government is tinkering around the edges. This bill is just sort of fudging the numbers. At the end of the day with taxation in this country there are still those who are benefiting greatly from the whole process while poor families in this country are really struggling. We need a full revision of the tax system in New Zealand not just this tinkering where they bring in these bits of bills here and bits of bills there. We need a full review of the tax system so that there is a fair and equitable system for all and across all areas of the New Zealand economy. At the present time there is still a huge amount of tax evasion estimated to be in the order of $2 million to $3 billion a year—$2 million to $3 billion a year of tax evasion which this Government is simply not getting on top of.In addition to that this Government has put up GST in recent years going up to 15 percent—Dr David Clark: I thought they promised they wouldn’t.ANDREW WILLIAMS: —which it promised it would not do absolutely. Prior to that particular election it promised that it would not increase GST but it did put it up from 12.5 percent to 15 percent. Again the people who hurt the most are those who have to buy everyday goods and services but who cannot afford that extra 2.5 percent of GST.So New Zealand First calls on the Government to have a comprehensive taxation review; to not just help its mates—not just help the wealthy heads of corporates the wealthy financiers and bankers and all that sort of thing—but help good average everyday Kiwis to get on and have a better slice of the cake in the New Zealand economy. We stand for a fair society. We stand for a society where all New Zealanders are put first. We stand for a situation where the Government goes after those who are avoiding paying their dues to the country. There is speculation on so much property and on so many investments in this country and so much in the way of finances and the New Zealand dollar is being speculated on. There are all sorts of other speculative activities that this Government turns a completely blind eye to while large amounts of revenue and profits are being made by rorting the system and taking huge amounts of dollars out of the system particularly for the benefit of that top 10 percent of income earners who are doing very well in this country.The gap is widening between the rich and the poor in this country and this National Government in the 5 sorry years that it has been in power has seen that gap widen. It is time that this Government faced the fact that New Zealand is on a slippery slope in terms of those who cannot afford the daily cost of living: those who are out of work and those who are underemployed. We now have 8 to 9 percent underemployment. These are people who have got only 1 hour or more of work a week. These are people who would dearly love to pay more tax if they had a decent job. But when you are on the minimum wage of $13.75 an hour when you—Maggie Barry: Read the bill.ANDREW WILLIAMS: I am keeping to the bill. This is about taxation. When you are on $13.75 an hour and you are struggling—