2. Hon PHIL GOFF (Leader of the Opposition) Link to this
to the Prime Minister
Does he stand by his statement that “the vast majority” of people will be “better off” as a result of his tax switch on 1 October 2010?
Rt Hon JOHN KEYIs the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research accurate when it says that around half of all households will end the year worse off than they were a year ago because rising prices, the GST increase, and other one-off charges more than offset personal tax cuts; if not, in what respects is the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research inaccurate?
Are the latest figures from Barfoot and Thompson, which show that average weekly rents in Auckland have gone up by $20, accurate?
I could not comment on that. That is Barfoot and Thompson’s reflection. It may or may not be correct; I have not looked at it. But what I have been advised is that under the National Government rents have gone up at a fraction of the rate they went up under the Labour Government.
Is it correct that local government rates since the election have gone up on average by 6.4 percent, and that GST will add an average $50 per year to everybody’s rates bills?
It would be selective to look at that, because one would also have to look at the personal tax cuts, which will add about $28 a week more after all the costs of an average household, rising to $41 by 2014.
Will GST add an estimated $7,000 to $8,000 to the price of the average new home bought by a homebuyer?
I do not have that number to hand, but I can say that New Zealanders will be in a much better position to buy a home when they can keep more of their own income, and they will do that under our personal tax cut plan.
What additional burden will the increase in GST put on reconstruction costs in the Canterbury region from 1 October?
The Earthquake Commission has made it clear that it will pay out the first $100,000 on property and $20,000 on contents at a GST rate of 15 percent; the bulk will be in that category and therefore will be covered.
Will the Prime Minister confirm that, in fact, the Government will add a further burden of $2,500 for every $100,000 spent during that reconstruction?
I seek leave of the House to table the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research quarterly predictions for September 2010, which state that half of all households will be worse off by the end of the year then they were a year ago
Mr SPEAKER