Goff's GST rise protest comes to town

Perceived broken promises and the threat of an increase in GST have led Rotorua pensioner Martin Gis to rethink who he will vote for at the next election.
Mr Gis was part of a group of about 20 people who met Labour Party leader Phil Goff and Labour list MP Steve Chadwick in Rotorua yesterday.
Mr Goff is on a 12-day tour of the country in his "Axe the Tax" bus, making people aware of a government proposal to increase GST from 12.5 to 15 per cent.
Mr Goff told the meeting National's policy of increasing GST and lowering some tax rates would not help everyday New Zealanders but make it harder for them to live.
"Most people are on fixed incomes and every dollar counts at the end of the week.
"Last year 56 per cent [of working New Zealanders] did not get a pay rise ... and now they are confronted with prices going up still further," he said.
Mr Goff said he believed Mr Key when he said he would increase GST but did not believe his promised tax cuts would help anyone but higher income earners.
 Mr Gis said he had voted for National at the last election as the party promised it would do away with the controversial Emissions Trading Scheme. However, Mr Gis said that after the National-led Government decided to increase ACC levies - while decreasing ACC services - and because Prime Minister John Key had said before the last election that he would not increase GST, he would be voting Labour in future.
"What they are doing is shocking.
"My sole income is from the pension and I will have to use more and more of my savings, because my pension does not cover my outgoings.
"If this gets through we are going to be paying an extra 2.5 per cent every time we purchase something," Mr Gis said.
"This is particularly tough, as you don't know how long you are going to live and how long the money will last."
Mr Gis said Mr Key had lied to New Zealanders about not increasing GST. He did not see how increasing GST and lowering tax rates would help anyone but the rich.
"Everything's going to go up - power, food, insurance, petrol and doctors' bills," Mr Gis said.
Mr Goff and Mrs Chadwick also addressed locals in the City Focus and met members of the St Vincent de Paul society before heading to Tokoroa in the afternoon.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay could not be reached for comment.