The new National-led Government will work quickly in the next two weeks to get some of its trademark policies passed before Christmas.
Parliament starts today, with the speech from the Throne.
The address-in-reply debate starts tomorrow.
Parliament will then go into urgency this week as the new Government gets to work, particularly on passing its tax legislation that is due to come in on April 1.
The expected tax package has two major elements - personal tax rate changes phased in over a three-year period, and consequential changes to the research and development tax credit and KiwiSaver in order to fund them.
Due to the fiscal costs of the tax cuts, they would be paid by scrapping the R&D tax credits and eliminating the tax credit for employer contributions to KiwiSaver with that reduction in benefit for employers to be at least partially offset by a reduction in the compulsory employer contributions from 4% to 2%.
Polson Higgs tax partner Michael Turner said some of the promised tax cuts are not much different from those promised by the last Labour-led government.
From April 1, up to $14,000 in income would be taxed at 12.5%, from $14,001 to $48,000 would be at 21%, $48,001 to $70,000 at 33% and above $70,000 at 38%.
Middle income earners up to $48,000 would be slightly better off, in his opinion.
People earning above $70,000 would be the major beneficiaries of National's tax policy.
Where National's policy differed was in the "bizarre" independent earner rebate which was paid to people earning $24,000 who were not receiving working for family benefits, he said.
The rebate reduced as the income level passed $44,000.
Asked whether the tax cut would be of benefit to the economy, Mr Turner said the wider picture had to be considered.
"You and I see an extra $12.50 a week in our pockets as block of cheese but collectively, it is a huge amount of money.
"Economists see it as an injection of cash into the economy.
"The October 1 tax cuts this year have served the economy well since they were introduced.
"The April cuts will provide more help," Mr Turner said.
Deloitte Dunedin tax partner Steve Thompson said it was pleasing to see a decrease in the top tax rate from 39% to 38% from April 1 and then again to 37% in 2010.
"While teachers, the police and hospital workers will still as a rule be subject to the top tax rate, National's decision to keep the top threshold at $70,000 is understandable given the current economic climate."
With National making changes to KiwiSaver, and abolishing the R&D tax credit to fund the tax cuts, the changes were forecast to result in National's package being $283 million cheaper than Labour's policy, he said.
Some businesses would be unhappy about the proposal to remove the tax credit for employer KiwiSaver contributions, particularly those who agreed to pass the savings on to employees.
Some employees would complain about National's decision to reduce compulsory minimum employer contributions to 2% of gross salary.
However, the 4% compulsory employer contribution was being phased in over a four-year period so the cut would not have a wide-ranging impact on employees.
The decision to reduce the minimum employee contribution would be positive for many people in tight economic circumstances, Mr Thompson said.
"While the proposed tax rate changes will put more cash in the pockets of individuals, Prime Minister John Key has also announced that the Government is considering how to help small and medium businesses survive the economic downturn."
Mr Key had indicated that no further changes to the company tax rate were being considered but that National was considering a "holiday" from provisional tax.
That appeared to be a positive step.
The correct amount of provisional tax was difficult to forecast and in difficult economic times, businesses could have a significant amount of cash tied up in overpaid provisional tax which would not be refunded until much later.
