One View of Taxation.

Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 85, 24 February 1876, Page 3

One View of Taxation.

Mr Henderson, who contested the Wairau seat with the late" Superih ten > dent of Mai-lbbrough, .takes the -folio w- v ing view, ot the .question, of taxation., The extract is from his hustings speech : —^'According* to Mr Seymourj" 'continued Mr Henderson, " things .-; are: very well as they are. He stated tq you that 6s to Ts^per^headayear-wa?-all-the tax a man need pay for" necessaries, and . he takes exception .to .the , view I gave you of the subject. Now let me •show you how ■• the • matter " actually, stands: It is 1 no use talking- about a man being able to live so that he does not pay. more that- six or seven shillings. a year to the revenue, because people ; will not live in, that. way. We will suppose that he ; takes one nobbier of .srjiriis a day — jtisf for a' nightcap to. send him to sleep— he- con-tributes-on-that twopence : to r the. revenue, -.which is £3 0s lOd a year, so already, with but one nobbier a day r you T nave ten tinies as much: as "6s" per year.' Now I' suppose^ a man may; smoke a quarter ■of a, pound of tobacco a. week, and he would" 'cdntributer in duty for that >£1 .'125."6 d'; a quarter of: a= pound of "tea, per week, 6s 6dj, a pound of sugar per week, duty 4s id;' candles or kero- : sen'ei 4s 4d ; ; clothirig- and-'bootSj-^lS-a year: the duty a" single- man would. pay ; living as. narrowly^ as I have, stated,. ! would be £6 lis 66. a "jesv. Of course !if a- 'man, lived J oii ; potatoes and -waterhe would not •[Contribute i anything;, but i as I said before, people do notjiye in i that way, and therefore lamwell bbtne; : out by the actual -facts in -what-I- told. : ■you when I sSidOth'atL'a'.man of small means may be contributing to the revenue as much as dire" of large means, may not consume more bf'd'dtiaDle 1 * -- '•• ' "■■•"••••-■ •■••- .•..-•■•: = • -; !:::i -*-