Dull But Worthy

The Government made progress on worthy, but not controversial bills on Tuesday evening.

The Commerce Commission (International Co-operation, and Fees) Bill (divided into four bills) passed its third reading on a voice vote.

This is intended to facilitate co-operation between the Commission and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission though a number of MPs noted the amount of time that had passed by to get it into law

The interrupted committee stage of the Taxation (Annual Rates, Returns Filing, and Remedial Matters) Bill was completed by 106 to 15 with Greens and Mana opposed.

The Bill sets the annual rates of income tax for the 2012–13 tax year, changes rules around the filing and storing of returns.

The Bill provides for an increase in the KiwiSaver default and minimum employee contribution rate, as announced in the 2011 Budget. The employee contribution rate is increased from 2 percent to 3 percent. The compulsory employer contribution also increases from 2 percent to 3 percent.

The incoming National Government had originally cut the rate from 4 percent to 2 percent.

The House rose interrupting the committee stage debate of the Legislation Bill.

The Legislation Bill was introduced by Chris Finlayson in 2010 to modernise and improve the law relating to the publication of legislation and to bring this law together in a single piece of legislation.

Some of the existing legislation on legislation is 92 years old and many MPs expressed support for the modernisation bill.

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