Media Statement
For immediate release
Wednesday, 4 August, 2004

Copeland: Parliament fails Kiwis to tune of $160m

Parliament tonight failed the people of New Zealand to the tune of $160 million, United Future's Gordon Copeland said.

"This was a hip-pocket issue - a $160 million hip pocket issue - for middle New Zealand. And all we got was hypocrisy and an utter lack of principle," Mr Copeland, sponsor of the GST off Rates Bill, rejected at its First Reading tonight, said.

"You might expect it from parties of the Left, but when parties of the centre-right - self-professed low tax parties - make liars of themselves, you have to ask what is going on?

"This was about being straight-up with the people and saying that a tax on a tax just isn't fair.

"Well, if one thing came out of tonight, it is this: the people of New Zealand now know exactly how duplicitous these parties are when it comes to delivering on all their rhetoric about putting money back into people's pockets.

"They can talk about low-tax regimes, the financial plight of New Zealand families, of pensioners and the like, but when it came to the crunch, they wouldn't even reverse an obviously unfair tax.

"Labour, National, and would you believe, even ACT - each one of them walked into Parliament tonight and deliberately perpetuated an injustice on the population of New Zealand.

"Let the people remember that in 2005," Mr Copeland said.

Ends.

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