10. Hon PAREKURA HOROMIA (Labour—Ikaroa-Rāwhiti) Link to this
to the Minister of Finance
What reports, if any, has he received on what effect the Government’s tax cut package will have on Māori incomes?
Hon BILL ENGLISH (Minister of Finance) Link to this
I have received reports on what effects the Government’s tax cut package might have on Māori incomes. It will increase their after-tax incomes. However, I have received another report that the Labour Party has proposed that the Government not proceed with tax cuts. The after-tax incomes of Māori would go down if we followed Labour’s policy.
Hon Parekura Horomia Link to this
What is the Minister’s response to the statement from the Minister of Māori Affairs that his Māori Party felt forced to vote in favour of National’s tax cut legislation, which does not benefit low and middle income workers, even though it did not want to?
The Māori Party supported the Government’s income tax cuts, and I think that now it knows that Labour’s policy is to do away with tax cuts, it will be very pleased that it supported National’s policy, because it means that the incomes of Māori will go up, instead of going down.
Hon Parekura Horomia Link to this
Is the Minister of Finance answering questions on Māori issues instead of the Minister of Māori Affairs because the Minister of Finance is worried that Dr Sharples would confirm that he opposes the 1 April tax cuts, which leave out low-income workers, and the 90-day fire-at-will law, or is it because the Minister of Māori Affairs did not want to answer the question?
The Labour Party needs to work out whether its policy is the one it ran before the election of lower taxes, or the one it ran last week of not having lower taxes. A lot of Māori voters would be interested to know that, because what they do know is that under National they will get tax cuts on 1 April, and they will be better off because of those tax cuts, whereas if Labour were in power, it would be abandoning the tax cuts and Māori voters would be worse off.