08 April. John Key to the Prime Minister: "Does she agree with the Minister of Finance that 'tax cuts are not self-funding.  If unaccompanied by expenditure cuts they simply lead to burgeoning deficits and debt'; if not, why not?"  Deputy PM Michael Cullen responds on behalf of Helen Clark.

During the exchange, John asks the PM's surrogate whether 'she' agrees with her Finance Minister (Michael Cullen) when he said: "Tax cuts that give people more than $10 per week are affordable but they are economically irresponsible. But the cuts that deliver less than $10 a week are not worth having."  John continues, "In which case, can she tell us which sort of tax cuts are we're in for in the '08 Budget - ones that are 'economically irresponsible' or ones that are 'not worth having'?"