Labour Party MPs campaigning against a rise in GST will reach Manukau by bus on Sunday afternoon vowing to fight John Key’s unfair plans to lift the GST rate to 15 percent.

The electorates and people of Manurewa, Manukau East and Mangere are represented by Labour MPs namely George Hawkins, Ross Robertson and Su’a William Sio.

MP for Manurewa George Hawkins:

“For those who have borne the brunt of the recession, low and middle income earners, Prime Minister John Key’s economic plan will have a destructive impact on the lives of people in my constituency who are already struggling to make ends meet.

“This proposed rise in GST will only worsen family nightmares about how to pay the bills and feed a family sufficiently.

“Maybe others have a short memory about what this Government promised people in 2008. But it’s on record: National did not contest the 2008 election on a promise to lift GST.

“People didn’t vote this Government in so that they could increase GST.”

Labour Leader Phil Goff and Deputy Leader Annette King will be on the bus for much of the two weeks.

MP for Manukau East Ross Robertson:

“Phil feels passionately that the GST increase must be stopped. GST will add further hardship to many middle to low income Kiwis. Adding to the sting will be National’s proposed income tax changes. The real winners will be the highest earners. The losers will be the vast majority of hard-working, struggling Kiwis who are on middle and low incomes.”

MP for Mangere Su’a Wiliam Sio:

“No one voted for paying more for milk, bread, rates, or school shoes. Whether you realize it or not, people are being misled by the Government.

Just as we already do in our constituency work, on this tour, as a Labour team, we will, again, touch base with community groups such as budgeting services, Grey Power, and Citizens’ Advice Bureaus.

“Phil Goff and Annette King will be on this bus tour from the length and breadth of the country, along with the rest of us joining at different legs, to hear the voice of the people on the planned GST hike.

“Remember, this government did not get a mandate from the people to raise GST. So this is no small matter.

“Labour’s nationwide bus campaign is about giving Kiwis a chance to have their say,” Su’a William Sio said.

BACKGROUND NOTES

Labour’s two-week bus campaign begins on Sunday 28 February and ends on Friday 12 March 2010.

It will start from the Avondale Fleamarket at 10.30am and then make its way towards South Auckland & Manukau City.

It will stop at the following cities and provinces in the North and South Islands:

Auckland, Pukekohe, Ngaruawahia, Hamilton, Cambridge, Tirau, Putaruru, Tauranga, Whakatane, Opotiki, Rotorua, Tokoroa, Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Stratford, Hawera, Wanganui, Bulls, Feilding, Palmerston North, Foxton, Shannon, Levin, Otaki, Waikanae, Paraparaumu, Wellington Central, Rongotai, Ohariu, Hutt South, Mana, Rimutaka, Picton, Nelson, Westport, Westport, Reefton, Hanmer Springs, Rangiora, Christchurch Central, Christchurch East, Waimakariri, Port Hills, Ilam and Wigram, Christchurch, Ashburton, Temuka, Timaru, Waimate, Oamaru, Dunedin North and Dunedin South.

Please note: this may be subject to change.

NORTH ISLAND

Sunday 28 February
Auckland, Pukekohe, Ngaruawahia

Monday 1 March
Hamilton, Cambridge, Tirau, Putaruru

Tuesday 2 March
Tauranga, Whakatane, Opotiki

Wednesday 3 March
Rotorua, Tokoroa, Te Kuiti

Thursday 4 March
New Plymouth, Stratford, Hawera

Friday 5 March
Wanganui, Bulls, Feilding

Saturday 6 March
Palmerston North, Foxton, Shannon, Levin, Otaki, Waikanae, Paraparaumu

Sunday 7 March
Wellington Central, Rongotai, Ohariu, Hutt South, Mana, Rimutaka

SOUTH ISLAND

Monday 8 March
Picton, Nelson, Westport

Tuesday 9 March
Westport, Reefton, Hanmer Springs, Rangiora

Wednesday 10 March
Christchurch Central, Christchurch East, Waimakariri, Port Hills, Ilam and Wigram

Thursday 11 March
Christchurch, Ashburton, Temuka, Timaru, Waimate, Oamaru

Friday 12 March
Dunedin North and Dunedin South

Parliament began sitting this week with the Prime Minister outlining in his speech his government’s priority for 2010. As I listened I started to write notes as to what he was really saying to the country.

The speech began with, “The Government starts 2010 with a very full programme of reform in front of it.” This statement is aimed at New Zealanders. It means the government will force upon New Zealanders significant changes this year whether people liked it or not.

The next statement is, “Our eyes will be firmly on the economy this year as we continue to implement our economic plan.” The words that sprang out at me are, “our eyes” “firmly on the economy” “continue to implement” and “economic plan”.

To me “our eyes” means government looking down at people at the very bottom, “firmly on the economy” means pushing workers to work harder, “we continue to implement” means we’ll do what we want to do and force people to their limits to accept what we want, and “economic plan” is a plan for how to make the rich richer.

When we look at Mr Key’s next statement, “The good news is that New Zealand has weathered the worst of the global crisis, and New Zealanders can be pleased at how well this country has come through it.”

I was shocked by this statement at how far removed Mr Key was from the 168,000 people unemployed as of December 2009 and from the more than 3000 people that lined up last month to apply for 150 job vacancies. Are these people and their families supposed to feel “pleased” at how well New Zealand has come through the global crisis?

Where are the benefits of the economic recovery for ordinary kiwis and their families? How are our communities supposed to make ends meet if they suddenly have no jobs through no fault of their own? What about the 110 staff from Pacificare/Blue Dove that still haven’t been paid by the company they were working for. These workers aren’t pleased. They are stressed out.

Mr Key continues his statement by saying his government will “reform the tax system” which I read as meaning his government would significantly shift the tax burden around from where it currently is. He gives us an insight to where the burden will shift by saying, “ we want people to pay their fair share of tax” which is to say his government wants ordinary people to pay more of the tax burden, and for those on high incomes to pay less.

He said, “that is one reason we are not only looking at a possible reductions to the top personal tax rate…..but at the whole personal tax structure, across the board.” Which suggests the government will lower the top income tax rate from 38 cents to 30 cents and shift this burden to everyone else on the lower levels. He confirms this by saying, “The Government is also carefully considering a modest increase in the rate of GST, to no more than 15 per cent” which means in order to compensate for the reduction of tax at the top income levels, the government will take this from people on lower incomes by raising GST to 15%. It is widely known that people on lower incomes spend their money on food, rent, petrol, power, phone, school fees, school uniforms, where GST is included.

Yet during the 2008 election campaign Mr Key told a press conference that if National is elected and does a “half decent job” at growing the economy, then increasing GST and the top tax rate will not be necessary. He then went on TVNZ 20 October 2008, and told the New Zealand public that he is not interested in increasing GST and does not support such a move.

As a Member of Parliament, I am not allowed to call others MPs liar, or hypocrite in the House, but what would you call someone who says one thing one year, and then says exactly the opposite thing another year.

I’ll leave that to our readers. But if the Prime Minister said, that if he does a “half decent job at growing the economy” then increasing GST will not be necessary. What does that tell us now that he is saying he’ll increase GST to 15%? For me, there has been no bold plan or any plan at all for the economy or to protect jobs. This speech was saying to me that the government’s mates will get a special tax rate, and for the rest of New Zealanders we’ll get a tax increase.

Ua faailoa mai nei e le Matagaluega o Faamaumauga a le Malo na oo i le 168,000 le aofai o tagata ua leai ni galuega i le faaiuga o le masina o Tesema 2009.

Faatoa toe o’o lea o le fuainumera o tagata ua leai ni galuega i lea maualuga talu mai le tausaga 1993.  Ua pito i sili foi ona maualuga le fuainumera o le autalavou i le va o le 15-24 tausaga le matutua ua leai ni galuega ma ua o’o ai nei i le 18.4%.  Ua toe faaopoopoina le fuainumera o tagata Pasefika ua leai ni galuega ma ua oo ai nei i le 14 pasene le maualuga talu mai le 7.8 pasene sa iai i le tausaga 2008.

O le matou lava taofi ua taunuu le maualuga o le fuainumera o tagata ua leai ni galuega ua iai nei, ona ose faiga mautinoa lava a le Malo a le National.  E leai lava so latou gaioiga o faia e puipui ai tagata faigaluega e pei ona taumafai iai le Malo a Ausetalia ma Amerika io latou faigamalo.

Ua leai lava se gaioiga a le Malo a John Key e taumafai ai ia faaitiitia le fuainumera o tagata e leai ni galuega ona o se faiga fa’a’au’au lea mo le aufaipisinisi ma kamupani tetele.

Aua afai e toatele le fuainumera o tagata ua leai ni galuega o le a faapena ona faigofie ona taumafai kamupani ma pisinisi tetele ia faapa’u totogi a le aufaigaluega.

O le mafuaaga foi lena nao le 25 sene ua toe faaopoopo i le totogi maualalo faatapulaia mo tagata faigaluega.  O le aso 1 o Aperila o lenei tausaga e amata ai le faamamaluina o le totogi maualalo faatapulaia i le $12.75 i le itula.  O faiga fa’a’au’au lava ia a le Malo e puipui ai kamupani ma pisinisi tetele.

O le fesili, e faapefea ona tausi se aiga ise galuega o loo totogiina le $12.75 i le itula, poo le $510 i le vaiaso, poo le $26,520 i le tausaga?  Faimai leisi toeaina o le matou aiga i Samoa, oka oka le tele o lena tupe i le tausaga ma mo’omo’o mai e fia maua se galuega e totogi faapena.  Ao le faalavelave afai o le tupe lea o loo e taumafai iai e tausi ai lou aiga i Niu Sila lava, e toesea muamua lava lafoga a le Malo, totoe ai nao le $426 i le vaiaso e mafai ona faaaoga i le totogiina o mea e tatau ona faamuamua aua le tausiga o le aiga.  Ona sosoo lea o le toesea o le totogi o le fale, pili o moli, pili o le vai, pili o le telefoni, totogi o le penisini e fealuai ai i le galuega. 

Afai o le totogi o le fale e $300 i le vaiaso ua tele le faaletonu i isi pili e tatau ona totogi.  Ao lenei foi e lei oo le faasoasoa i meaai o le vaiaso, o lunch a tamaiti aoga ma latou pasese i le pasi, faapea isi pili o aoga.

E le gata i lea o aiga Samoa foi o loo iai isi vaega e faaalu ai tupe e pei o le teutusi a le faifeau, faapea foi faalavelave faa Samoa e le mafai ona alo’ese ai.

O le totogi maualao faatapulaa ua iai nei a le Malo, e le’o se totogi talafeagai mo le tausiga o le tagata faigaluega ma lona aiga, ae maise le aiga Samoa.  O le mafuaaga lea ua ou lagolagoina ai ma le malosi le mau ia sii le totogi maualalo faatapulaia i le $15 i le itula.

E le gata i lea ou te lagolagoina ai le mau ia maua avanoa aoga mo tagata matutua ma toe faaopoopoina isi tupe mo avanoa aoga a le fanau aua ou te talitonu a maualuga o latou faailoga ma tomai faapitoa e maua, o le a faapena foi ona maualuga o latou totogi e tatau ona maua ma lelei galuega e galulue ai.

Afai e leai ni faiga faapenei a le Malo, ma leai foi se agaga finau a tatou lava aiga, o lona uiga ose olaga mativa ma le pologa o le a feagai ma latou ia, ma e le’o se olaga lea e tatau ona tatou talia.

Ou te talitonu foi, e le mafai ona tatou maua ni suiga lelei pe afai tatou te punonou ma moeiigi e aunoa ma le sailiili ma malamalama i mataupu ma faaiuga faalemalo ma mea o loo tutupu i lenei atunuu.

E masani ona ou vaai o pu’e mai ata a le Palemia ma nisi o tupulaga Pasefika.  E fiafia tele iai o tatou tupulaga aua o se tagata e mata ataata gofie ma ose tagata e tele ana tupe. O’u manatu lea o lea se lagona o nei tupulaga pe afai latou te malamalama o loo faatino e lana malo ni faiga e aafaina tele latou ma o latou aiga i le lumanai? 

Ua tatau ona manino lelei o le matua aafia o tatou aiga i faiga faavae a lenei faiga-Malo, ma e aliali ai foi e le’o faatauaina o tatou tagata e lenei palemia.