1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:04,720 Speaker 1: Barry Sooper, Senior Political correspondence with us Alla Barry Afternoon. Heather, So, 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: the tax is a problem. 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 2: Is it a tax or a levy? Look, you know, 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 2: for time memorial in politics, politicians have always denied that 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 2: levees are in fact taxes, and if you look at 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 2: the definition of the levy, it is a tax. So 7 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 2: we had this discussion a bit yesterday when we talked 8 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 2: about the LNG set up they're going to do in Taranaki. 9 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: But the last prime minister, you remember who tried the 10 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 2: song was Jainda dun. She wanted the clean car emissions levee, 11 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,639 Speaker 2: you remember, the ute tax as it was called by 12 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,520 Speaker 2: the National Party at the time. She hated that. Now 13 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 2: Chris Luxen is hating the idea that this could possibly 14 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 2: be seen as the levy but a tax. Now, it 15 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 2: was an issue that Labour and the Greens took great 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 2: glee in the House today accusing the Government of introducing 17 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 2: a new tax. They must have expected it, surely, but 18 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 2: the Prime Minister was having none of it. Here is 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 2: Labour's Crusipkins taking him to task. 20 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 3: Does he agree with Nikola Willis if it looks like 21 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 3: a tax, if it quacks like a tax. It's a tax. 22 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 4: Well, it's a charge that electricity companies will pay so 23 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:21,759 Speaker 4: that consumers pay lower power bills. 24 00:01:21,800 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 3: It's that simple. How does introducing a new guess tax 25 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 3: that every New Zealand household will pay every time they 26 00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 3: flick on a light switch help them with the cost 27 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 3: of living? 28 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 4: What a load of rubbish? And the member clearly is 29 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 4: not understanding what this proposal is actually about. LNG facility 30 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:42,119 Speaker 4: will lead to lower tax bills? Are lower power bills? 31 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 4: Smetric questions? 32 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 3: The speaker does he agree then with the Cambridge English 33 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 3: Dictionary when it says that the definition of a levy 34 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 3: is quote an amount of money such as a tax. 35 00:01:55,520 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 4: It's somewhat semantic. And I just say to the member 36 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 4: that what we're doing is lwering power bills. 37 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 2: Yes, it's the old pot calling the kettle playing right, 38 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: But then speaking of that, the Greens Chloe Swarbrick. She 39 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 2: was also in the frame later on on the debate 40 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,239 Speaker 2: until Winston Peters put her in her place. 41 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 3: Why does the Prime Minister conceive of the fact that 42 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 3: he could hook up a wind farm for the Green 43 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 3: caucus room and maybe that's a solution. 44 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 2: Put your pot here. 45 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: Out of that, I would have thought, right, now, what 46 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: do you make of Willie Jackson in his business? 47 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 2: Well, of course Willie Jackson was probably speaking from a 48 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 2: bit more knowledge than what Chris Hipkins gave him credit 49 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 2: for that. You know, he will have been talking to 50 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 2: his old mate John Tammy Herry and they would have 51 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,080 Speaker 2: been talking about in the future later this year that 52 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 2: the Labor Party will go with the Maldi Party if 53 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: it needs to. And that's the key that if Labor 54 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: can't collar the vote then they'll need two parties. One 55 00:02:57,800 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 2: will be the Greens and they made that quite clear 56 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 2: at WHITANGI that the Greens are right on board regardless 57 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 2: of silly policies that they'll be advocating, hopefully not bottom 58 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 2: lines and coalition negotiations. But Willie Jackson, of course, he's 59 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 2: right in the middle of it. Even though Chris Hopkins 60 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 2: is writing him off as maybe not speaking with the 61 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 2: authority of the Labor Party. Well he's doing exactly that. 62 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: But did you see another one of the Labor Party 63 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:30,360 Speaker 1: MP's repeated the same line, Yes they did, so do 64 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,679 Speaker 1: you think what it is a nim mine who cares 65 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: don't even know the person? 66 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 2: But none of those. 67 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: But do you think the veil has slipped here? We've 68 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: got an insight into what is most likely going to 69 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: be the case. 70 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 2: Well, of course, and we always knew that. I mean, 71 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: if labor does need the numbers, you know Chris Hopkins 72 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 2: will no doubt try and give Vold Winston a bit 73 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 2: of a nudge and a wink. But that's not going 74 00:03:55,160 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 2: to happen because Peter's is quite clear. But certainly the 75 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 2: MALDI part, if they make up the numbers for the 76 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 2: majority that's needed to get into government, you can bet 77 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 2: your bottom dollar I'll take it. 78 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: Did you see the Retail Advisory Crime Crime Advisory Group 79 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: has been disbanded? 80 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 2: Yes? So well, I don't know really what poor old 81 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 2: Sunny Kershel is going to do at the end of 82 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: all this. 83 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: Time. He has so much times. 84 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 2: Work day and night, night and day, day and nightlic holidays. 85 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,240 Speaker 2: The one point eight million dollars though were given in 86 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 2: July twenty four has been spent, just overspent, and Sunny's 87 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 2: made quite a handsome living out of it. But Paul 88 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 2: Goldsmith and I know you're going to be talking to 89 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 2: him Stead. If the resignations hadn't occurred, then it was 90 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 2: likely they would have retained the group until the end 91 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 2: of September when it was scheduled to break up then. 92 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: But look, Paul Goldsmith, I think has seen the writing 93 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 2: on wall. It's seen that Sunny Kershel is not the 94 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 2: easiest of men to deal with, and that was certainly 95 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:09,840 Speaker 2: made clear when some of the resignations came. And look, 96 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 2: he'll be out of a job in a coup a 97 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:12,720 Speaker 2: couple of months. 98 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:14,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, Barry, thanks ver much, appreciate it very so for 99 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:15,840 Speaker 1: senior political corresponding. 100 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 3: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 101 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 3: news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 102 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 3: the podcast on iHeartRadio.