Brown Peter: Debate on Budget Policy Statement 
Brown Peter: Debate on Budget Policy Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18903] 
PETER BROWN (Deputy Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Labour members have been crowing this afternoon. They have been telling us how good things are. Perhaps the most succinct statement we have heard came from Mr Parker. He said that this country’s finances are in very very good shape—not very good shape but very very good shape. Perhaps the last Labour member to take a call this afternoon will tell us why then the Government will impose a 5.6c petrol tax on the average New Zealander come 1 April. 
Hon Richard Prebble 
: They just like tax. They get drunk on it. 
PETER BROWN 
: The Government just likes taxes. Perhaps Government members can tell us so that we can understand why it is necessary when the country’s finances are in very very good shape to impose a further tax on the average New Zealander. 
 Yesterday the Minister of Finance when answering questions on this petrol tax was asked why he had supported the Winston Peters - sponsored bill that some time ago in 1995 would have provided for all excise tax collected on petrol to go into a transport and roading fund. In 1995 Labour supported that. In answer to a question from the Hon Maurice Williamson who asked whether Dr Cullen was the same person who had supported that bill he said: “No. I am 10 years older and that much wiser.” 
Do members know of the last person I am aware of who said something like that to his henchmen? Al Capone! When Al Capone was a young crook he told his people he was a darn good mobster. When he grew a bit older he said he was the perfect mobster. Officials could not touch him and the police could not touch him but in the end they got him through income tax fraud. I just hope Michael Cullen takes note of that because with the maturity of age he has lost the plot. 
Darren Hughes 
: Oh what! 
PETER BROWN 
: Well let us go back a few years. Let us just suppose that in 1995 the Winston Peters - sponsored bill had been put through. By this time there would have been something close to $5 billion invested in roading or transport-related matters. That is the difference in monetary terms that the bill would have made. What would it have done for the country? We would not have the problems we have many hundreds of people would not have died on our roads and our economic well-being would be that much better. 
If members do not believe that money invested in roading is just that then they should read the Allen report. I have a copy here. They should read it. The Allen report produced by the Automobile Association and various business people in this country suggests that $2.4 billion invested now will in a relatively short time produce economic gains of $1.6 billion per year. 
Hon Dr Michael Cullen 
: Who commissioned that? The road transport federation. 
PETER BROWN 
: The Minister might think that is funny but there are huge gains to be made by investment in roading in this country—huge gains. I say to the member and I say it sincerely that had he stuck to his word and had he convinced a few people in the National Party to support that bill of Winston Peters in 1995 this country would be a lot better off. It is no good now crowing that the country’s finances are in very very good shape when we will go to the working people come 1 April and put some more tax on petrol. The price has gone up since that bill was passed. I believe that the Minister of Finance had the bill amended in order to give him a bit of flexibility to introduce the increase when prices were going down. But prices have actually gone up and I would not mind betting that they will have gone up even more by 1 April when the Minister is going to impose another 5.6c per litre of tax on petrol. 
On top of that the Minister is going to index to inflation the excise tax collected on fuel. Let me ask the honourable Minister if he thinks that is fair why he does not index to inflation the money he pays out to rest home care. Rest homes are way behind the eight ball. Late last year I think the Government agreed to a 3 percent increase which I understand has not been implemented. The Government passed holidays legislation and gave nothing—nothing at all—to rest homes in order to pay their staff who care for New Zealanders.