FARMERS WANT RELIEF

Chronicle (Levin), 2 August 1947, Page 5

FARMERS WANT RELIEF

-Press Association-

Heavy Taxation Restricting Production

By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, August 1. The Governmeut was urged to review the ineidence of taxation as " it did not encourage maximum production," by a reipit pasged by the Dominion conference of Federated Farmers, "We submit that the present heavy taxation is a major cause in restrieting production ahd that the present methoc*. of levying taxation on the land is un sound ajid nnwieldly/' stated the remit, The Governroent was also asked to reviejv taxation so that no death or succession, duties would be levied on ahy one estate within tea years of a previous assessment for sueh duties. The principle of decentralisation o! shipping was supported by the- conference. A remit passed stated that decentralisation would relieve congestion at major ports and pressure on the raii way systein. It was said that the establishment of indnstries in outlying provinces would De encoui'aged anti population distributed more evenly and that transport costg would be reduced as would deterioration un&voidable in some eases due to the extra handling of goods involved at present. Income receiyed from the investmenf of nioney gained from the sale of lanu to ex-servicemen, should be treated a ■ earned income, stated another remi. adopted. Explaining the remit, Alr. E •J. Harding, mover, said elderly farmer • were hnding it unprofitable • to seli their land beeause, to achieve in theii retirement income comparable to the social seeurity * allowance, would re quire an investment of £14,500; Noi many of them held that much and so they stayed on their farms. If the profits from the investment of mone> frbm the sale of their farms to ex servicemen were treated as earned income, many more farms would beconu available for returned men as moro farmers would sell. The conference further agreed thal farmers wishing to sell their land should be given priority for Btati houses or the necessary permit ti, secure other suitable living aceommodation. » Another remit stated that the immediate settlement of bloclcs of land in an unimproved or partly improved state should be ailowed with subsequent de velopments to be made by the effort:of the settler hiinself, assisted if necessary by the State. The conference also agreed that the Rehabilitation Department should be ailowed to linance purchases independ ent of the State Advances Corporatioi: and that the advice of local rehabilita tiqn committees on the suitability o! the farms submitted for sale, should bi accepted. Other remits on the purchase by tht Crown of farms foir ex-servicemen were to the eft'ect that greater consiil eration should be given to topographica conditions rather " than - the monej value of the land and that the price oi any land purchased should be submit ted to the Land Saies Committee foi approval.