Bishop ChrisHon CHRIS BISHOP (National—Hutt South): Today is a great day for Kiwis—31 July—because for the first time in 14 years New Zealanders are getting tax relief. The National Party campaigned on it the ACT Party campaigned on it New Zealand First campaigned on it and together these three parties have come together in a coalition—the first three-way coalition in Cabinet in New Zealand MMP history—and we have come together and we have delivered fully funded tax relief for New Zealanders that comes into effect today. It's a great day for Kiwis—83 percent of Kiwis will be better off; 94 percent of households will benefit. And there are many people—mainly on the other side but including a few commentators in the media—who said it couldn't be done. They'd never be able to deliver it the books were too bad economic circumstances lots of different excuses. Well we have put them wrong and delivered it: fully funded tax relief because we know that over the last many years fiscal drag has pushed many people into higher and higher tax brackets. And alongside a cost of living crisis driven by excessive profligate spending New Zealanders have been worse off.Now the response between the two sides of politics has been indicative of philosophy and priorities. On this side of the House our starting point is people should keep more of what they earn. It's their money—it's their money. Generally they know best how to spend it. The response from members opposite on the Labour benches and beyond has been to come up with a series of rinky-dink dumb policies all of which have been based upon the idea that the Government can spend money better than individuals.Remember the cost of living payment? Remember Grant Robertson's big idea in the 2022 Budget? Everyone got very excited in 2022 because at that point inflation was over 7 percent—double what it was meant to be—and Kiwis were facing pain at the pump and everyone went Oh maybe"—I remember in the National Party we were thinking "Maybe just maybe for the first time in 12 years we'll get tax relief. Maybe they'll gazump us. Maybe they'll nuke us by actually doing tax relief." We were genuinely quite worried about it. We were a little bit concerned. That would really have taken the wind out of our sails. But no no no no no no no no no. The Labour Party's never seen tax cuts they didn't want to oppose and Grant Robertson turns up to the House in Budget and says "Oh I've come up with this grand plan." Outside the allowances wasn't counted special rules were added for himself billion dollars in cost of living payments—free money handed out.Well that's sort of OK up to a point until we worked out dead people got it. Investment bankers in London suddenly found themselves getting a couple of hundred bucks richer to go out on a Friday night living in London working at big magic circle law firms. And then of course we found out about the stories about the French backpackers who are currently watching the triathlon or about to watch the triathlon back in France who'd come down here on a working holiday back in 2009 or 2010 and earned a bit of pocket money who'd registered with the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) gone back to France and 10 years later found the good old New Zealand taxpayer had deposited a couple of hundred bucks in their bank account via the IRD. Remember the cost of living stuff?Then we had all the rinky-dink fuel tax cuts that were temporary except they weren't actually temporary—they kept on going. This is an example of the major difference between the two parties. Our starting point is let people keep their own money. The response from Labour is to dream up ever more stupid ways to fleece more and more money off New Zealanders.Well today that stops. Today the tax relief kicks in. But what is ongoing is this Government's constant desire for fiscal discipline and a determination to get Government spending under control. The size of Government is too large. The Government spends too much money. The Government spends too much money wastefully. That is why we have put a stop to stupid Labour programmes like Lake Onslow like industry transformation plans. That is why these massive doorstops that once we abolish no one even knew we'd gotten rid of them because no one bothered to read them other than an army of public servants creating them. We have stopped the waste—well we are stopping the waste I should say. And as part of our ongoing desire for fiscal restraint we will get this country back on track."