Bennett DavidHon DAVID BENNETT (Minister of Veterans' Affairs): Thank you members of the Committee for your discussion this morning. I just want to clarify a few points that have been discussed by members of the Committee.Grant Robertson: I've got my pen ready.Hon DAVID BENNETT: Yes Mr Robertson. The first point is around the accommodation supplement. Many speakers have mentioned that today and have argued that it is a subsidy for landlords and that is what the argument has been. The accommodation supplement changes are not proposed as part of this bill.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): And that is just exactly what I was about to point out to the member. So he is not going to talk about them.Hon DAVID BENNETT: No I am just making sure that other members do not either.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): That is my responsibility Mr Bennett.Hon DAVID BENNETT: Yes so they are done by Order in Council. What is in this bill though are the personal income tax threshold changes. If we look at those changes currently the thresholds include the $1 to $14000 range and that now becomes the $1 to $22000 tax bracket at the rate of 10.5 percent.The advantage of that is it is nearly a doubling of the lower current bracket to $22000 which is to the advantage of all taxpayers but especially those in the middle of the taxpaying base because they have the most to gain. Middle income earners actually have the biggest gain as a percentage.If you look at the next stage of the tax bracket where we are looking at $22000—previously it was $14000 to $48000. Now it is $22000 to $52000 and that is at 17.5 percent so that is another gain for middle income taxpayers in New Zealand. The real heart of this Budget is the gain for middle income taxpayers in New Zealand.Grant Robertson: I thought it was low income people.Hon DAVID BENNETT: It is middle and low income but middle income taxpayers benefit very much from this Budget and that is something that many New Zealanders have been looking forward to as well.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): The Minister will sit down just because you did not sit down last time when I stood up. I have been listening to this debate for some time from my room. I have been in here now for a relatively short time. We have had one speech that was completely on the topic—that is whether this particular change meets the objectives agreed to in the second reading of the bill or addressing the amendments. This is not a debate about the Budget who wins who it is aimed at or at the politics. It is a technical debate now and the Minister will remember that as will other members who are coming afterwards.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I would just like to draw your attention to previous debates under urgency following Budgets in which members have been given some latitude in bills that have been progressed under urgency after a Budget to give some reference to the Budget. That has always been the practice of the House. This is the ninth Budget that I have been here for and this the ninth set of urgency where members have been given latitude to discuss other aspects of the Budget.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Thank you Mr Hipkins. Members have been given latitude for an hour and a half so far on this part.Aupito William Sio: I raise a point of order Mr Chairperson. I just listened to your ruling and in light of that can I ask you to consider based on Standing Order 376 that the regulatory impact statement for this bill has not been tabled. I think under that ruling that statement should be tabled given that we are in urgency and given that we do not have the benefit of having this bill being considered by the general public. So in order for us to be able to use information and to specifically refer to clauses based on your ruling I would ask that that regulatory impact statement be tabled unless it is a secret.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Can I just check the Standing Order that the member was referring to? I think the member said 376 which was Documents quoted by Minister". I have got in my hand a disclosure statement and regulatory impact statement for the bill which the Clerk has just given me from the Table. So I am not quite sure what I am meant to rule on.Aupito William Sio: The regulatory impact statement. We just looked earlier and there were no copies of that available for us.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): Well I am sure having seen members look the very efficient staff of the place have replenished the supplies. Clearly it is a document in lots of demand.Grant Robertson: Currently there is now none because you have got the only one.The CHAIRPERSON (Hon Trevor Mallard): If anyone really wants it they can have this one. I would tend to say from the—no I am not going to put a value statement on it. Right back to David Bennett.Hon DAVID BENNETT: Just in summary since the Chair has made it clear that we are not talking about the accommodation supplement or the wider aspects of this Budget but looking at taxation in this area we see that this Budget has a lot of strength for our communities going forward."