OPINIONS ON THE SURTAX.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 674, 26 November 1909, Page 3

OPINIONS ON THE SURTAX.

:-'£'.YOU' DOi ■YoW'v,y^;>rt •:■) -; '■',.'- : :) ,; ?/v ; Christchurch,.November 21:*.-;: (Mr. , Jones, the' president of l the'; Canterbury ■' :.;:'■ ■ Industrial .Association,: told a^ , 'PnKS.''repbrtorV j tb-night ■ that,. as comparodv.witli tho ■' pnniago';; (;?:■.; duty, the!new-surtax; wasdecidedly; tho lesser > of the two evils: very iuiioli:;!",;?..' tho: payment, of duty, especially, on-goods that ; s>: ?:;;v weroheld in bond, .wlierehsi.tho'primagp duty;:;:.::;.,; system would:'necessitate, an. ittunonse ainountij of trouble, such; as scrutinising invoices! Then ; '|; ;B-;);. again; the values: of goods -landed 5 some- years ij,v.vi : :V ago, might not;'bo what;thoy; ; w.ero : , ?;::?; i the imposition of a; primago' , duty would; there-;■ ..'..■„->: fore ; operator unfairly:';: ; 'A .'suixhargoS Bystem;;:;,' : ; ; s^ v simplified matters considerably, und'ho thought :.-)*:>\-r, it was a good policy .'to follow: that fresh V..:-.;:. taxation:should bo in:proportion , tothp : 'duty.. :■ ;:-.■-, already paid and not oivJthe.vyahioyof,;tho '-i' [~;; goods.' l'or instance, tobacco-paid 1 -a ':■. duty).of '*/.-:'?O.\ 3s.Gd. per pbuud, and tho in-bond.prico was '"-fSi about Is. 3d.,' so that' tho','additional;, duty';, l '}: : ;-: : .f)'\ ,at ; present would bo! about . ono;'penny;vper;. i;;:.;:;: pound, which could bb passed bn> to thpj con-T v , V.. : sumer, whereas 1- per cent.-on ;Is, 3d.'tould;-■ i-v" not Mr. Jones. addcd- ; thatin; mosti cases; the'; ■;;;; ■■£. 2\' per 'cent. ■ .bovpassed! on '•. to;'}, :'i}'\, the consumer.' . - ; .-.. ■' ; ' ; . ''•"'■■-.■'-:,-.■'-.■'■• ■■■"'■•''■..■'i".'-7i : -?. : i--iv-; '■; The local director, of Neill and Co.,.l[r.:Ean-'\. l :;i: kin, stated,that tho-surtax.would; : havoHo;;borV ;: ij;-.V paid by the consumer.'- Tho retailers ..could not I;';,. 1 : '■'■■;, afford to lose"-it, and tho wholesale people wero , ;,; , :.*'-;? working on : so-, flne'a' profit that', they', couldT ; - •'},'?::■> not--afford -to: lose it.. The' ; surtax would pro'-: : ihV ' duco. about JC2O,OOO.<° a . year more than'; tW'.-. \ .iSiV; , p'limago tax, but Was much the prefei'ablo.Eys- , .: ,;?>«; tein ! for traders.- "Theso^^.continual' changes; , ; 'j"/ j:'; continued Mr. RanMn, ■'' ai'6 ■'! most , ,, .'•:.,•;! to business people, and they have a.most un- v ;.':i: : ;•, settling effect on. trade. ,;You ■ do;-not -know ;,*>-. '\:'y : where you are, for what; is. 6ottled.-ono--day:j ::■',:;; may bo' abandoned,'.tho/upxt''in" favour , " «~:f i's.';:';: something ■ different." '•. : .■■■•■'■.'•■ '■:■,« ! >;!'": : .•: ..jy'o:

;-:■;■; BYAUCKLANDBUSINESSMEN.!': ! (By ; ToleErapU-Press.; Association.)-;."' ,'•' "''. ■■.■'.. ; ' : '. Auckland,' November 24.;f:''i' ; i:> . The Prime: Minister's'' proposal 'to. substitute': ; ! -?,V ;: a2i per , cent. ..surtax on-.,tho. amount.'of. duty; :>-V. collected on all:dutiable goods for tho %;'.j imposed aud gencrally-uiiwclcbmo primago duty. , '■!;-''/' i . ; ; of one per cent., ,was inade the'subject of'in- ,, '-.'i--quirics among localbusiness ineii and ■importers , .':,s».-;' to-day, 'and-, the general 'feejing. was ; thati'the .* I- ;. proposed',surtax, Wile preferablei to i creased primage dutj , ,' was' not, so. calculated .to •:'•!. • v■{' give general satisfaction to tho business"section , -'" ~iv; of tho community'as wpulditho: imposition of ,•;;>;: : . a small duty. on. tea. y : ]: ; :'. : . : -: ! ;■■ ■■•. ' '' 'i'v "I think''it is a good- way out of .-.lho'/diffir :.f.;-,: cnltj , ," is the , opinion of Mr. ■'. ■:■-'•!;.%' chairman of tho Chamber ; bf : ,Comprce.'- !'lt;is>;-;5i ; ; cortaiuly avory easy and feasible; method'' of collcctini; α-tax,. whereas ..the...ono.'AperJ.'cent. ;':■:;'.,: primage duty was cumbersome, and almost .an ":■-)■]■>'■.. impossibility as regards' tho retailer; wlioit-in 0:^J : many cases, could not, pass it, on -at. a 11 .,/ In;;..;' - ; short, seeing that-the 2| peri cent.:; will;: fa 11,,.;;: , : i; most' heavily upon luxuries > and - not :on;.the; >);.;; necessaries of life, I; do.;iot.thiuk;:that..there-,;-;.: : .-, should bo any.cause for>complaint;agaiiist:the-:, i iM:; new proposal. It seems to , me,' in-,short; tho'Prime Minister has hit off a^very, excellent plan for"overcoming the difficulty,' was.Mr.'., / ..:v. Kent's summing up. '. 'V-v^' , --; :'■'■■•■'■■ "■ f^: y^ 'Speaking as a reprosentntive^ofUlie/.wh01e..;:,;;; , ; sale importing morchants, Mr;; R, Morton said-;-;,;,:;; that' they were-.still,'strongly, of .opinion ;thnt -.«:.,; it would havo been a vnry much simpler;plau;.::;::.', to low a duty on some article ..of .-.largo. con-,'...;-^: : : Euhiptlon like tea, and .tho,.- business, .^section , ;; ;-;■.;;,: would have infinitely prof erred it. Tliore'. went:;;, ,;■ innumerable 'instances.;he said,: in which the ~,.;..:■.: duty-would bo very troublcsome''tbvcollcct...-, , ■;;>;.,: