Partnership CTPP Amendment Bill. The bills are set down
for second reading. The International Treaty
Examination and the Monetary Policy
Statement are set down
for consideration. Question come to oral
questions. Question no. 1. Simon
Bridges.
My
My question is to the Prime
Happy
Happy Nieuean Language Week. To answer Mr Bridges' question, yes.
Does she stand by her statement last
week that since
Does she stand by her statement last
prices have risen roughly 39 cents, of which 6.8 cents, at
that point, could be attributed to taxes
and
be referring to my press conference. The first time I made that comment I
stated,
The first time I made that comment I
prices at that point could be attributed to taxes and
prices at that point could be
Speaker, I absolutely stand by that statement. Is she aware
that the tax figure she referenced
statement. Is she aware that the tax
is only the GST and ETS component and did not include the new excise
tax, or the regional
fuel tax in
why I indicated the data was through to 28 September, because that
is the data I had available, and I
was very explicit about that.
data I had available, and I was very
What it would be nice to have the member opposite being explicit about
is what transport projects he
wants cancelled given he doesn't want
any excise tax anymore, or
he might not be a position to
cancel anything because it requires being
if government. Did she not include
all of the relevant taxes and, in so
tax increase given the government has imposed a regional fuel tax
of 11.5 cents and an excise tax
of 4 cents
11.5 cents and an excise tax of 4
gave the data that was available at the exact time that I stood
up at the press
I can give the member the exact data today. Which includes
that fuel prices have risen now 46
cents, of which tax is 9.53. The fact remains
in fuel prices that cannot be reasonably explained, which is why
this Government is changing the
law so we can seek out some answers on
behalf of consumers. Either
that side thinks it's acceptable that
they're paying that much,
or they don't. The Rt Hon Winston Peters.
Is a fact, PM, that on the weekend
they would have been relying on the M B data as well, which I have been
relying on, in public and in
this House. Does she now accept that
petrol taxes have had
a significant impact on the cost of living for New
Zealanders. Mr Speaker, I have been
very open about the proportion
around excise and regional
fuel taxes versus what cannot be
explained. This seems to be
in direct contradiction for when that
member was in Government
and undertook their own review and came
out with a finding
that said they could not
could not reasonably determine whether or not consumers
could not reasonably determine
paying a fair price. That's not good enough, on this side of the
House, and we're doing something about
it. PM, petrol prices are
so high, how could an individual afford to
drive all the way
from Auckland to Wellington just to deliver
a message inside this
The member has no responsibility for that. Does she now accept
The member has no responsibility for that. Does she now accept that
her petrol taxes have had
a significant impact on the cost of living for New
that fuel prices at the moment have an element we cannot explain
in the last 10 years. The importer margin
has gone up...
last 10 years. The importer margin
The importer margin has gone up. Clearly, that side of
the House will not accept that excise and the
regional fuel tax is only a
small portion of what consumers
are paying at the pump. I have to say, given
that side of the House increased
it by 17 cents and is now crying wolf
over excise use, seems pretty rich
to me. There is a problem. There is
a problem. But we're trying
to get to the bottom of it because
we know what excise is. The vast bulk of
what consumers are paying
is not about that. What will she do if
it turns out that the regional fuel tax
is being included in the importer
margin and,
margin and, therefore,
Well, Mr Speaker, I'm not going to leave it
Well, Mr Speaker, I'm not going to
in the Commerce Commission to find out exactly what is going on. Unlike
chose to sit by and could not determine whether consumers
were paying a fair price or not. Mr
Speaker, I reiterate if that side of
the House thinks it is
all about fuel tax and excise, what are they
the pen link Why was the regional fuel tax hidden inside
Again, from the advice that I have received there are
explanations that do not exist around the
inflated price that consumers are paying,
which is why we're having the
Commerce Commission look at it. How
can New Zealanders have
confidence in her ability to deal
with their cost of living rises when she is
relying on numbers that do not even
measure the increase of her
petrol taxes that, as I say,
her Government has imposed. Mr Speaker, I'm
relying on the same data that
member relying on when he was in government. What
I'm also asking questions around
is why is MB also adding fuel
cards rates in the order of 14 cents to
those fuel cards as well. If you
want to talk about
the cost of living, this is the Government who
put
living, this is the Government who
New Zealanders, that lifted the minimum
minimum wage, that is focused on lifting the incomes of those who
need it most, and to getting to the
bottom of what's going on
with fuel.
If she has already decided that the fuel companies are
If she has already decided that the
something about that now, rather than undertaking a market
something about that now, rather
Speaker, we ask. We need the evidence before we move forward.
With inflation numbers out today showing petrol prices have increased
more than any other item in
the last year, why is she still going ahead
with more than 24 cents of
petrol tax increases in the space
of just three
tax increases in the space of just
probably find a quote from the Opposition for exactly the same
set of circumstances.
Opposition for exactly the same set
Question no. 2, Tamati Coffey.
My
My question is to the Minister of
The
The Hon David Clark. Mr Speaker, last week The Treasury released the
government's financial statements
for the year ended 20
June 2018 showing the Government's books are
in good shape. The results