SMALL HOLDERS AND THE LAND TAX.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 10

SMALL HOLDERS AND THE LAND TAX.

Sir,—l note that at Mastcrton and again at Pahiatua Mr. Massey stated that a Minister of tho Crown, by whom, I prosume, ha meant tho Hoii. G. Foirlds, proposed to abolish tho land tax exemption and donblo tho land tax. and that Mr. Massey is very 'eommendably anxiouslest this should hurt the small holders in town and country. I hasten, therefore, to relieve his anxiety. In tho first place, Mr. Fowlds's proposal is not on tho linos stated by Mr. Massey. His proposal, on tho contrary, is: (1) To retain the exemption on tho present land tax; (2) to levy another Id. in the £ on land values without exemption so far as this second' penny is concerned; and (3) to reduce tho Customs taxes on necessaries not produced in New Zealand by tho amount of the revenuo thus raised—at least i' 500,000 a year. Since the wholesalers' and tho retailers' profits on Customs taxes amount to at least 50 per cent., to repeal .-£500,(100 of Customs .taxes is to reduco tho burden of the Customs tariff by no less than ,£750,000 a year—that is to say, -by 15s. par head, or bv 755. per family of five. And, as against this relief of Customs burden, the small farmer, the small tradesman, and tho workingman cottage-owner will have, to pay under tho new ld.-in-th:-X----land-value-tax only Bs. Jd. on an unimproved value of .€100; 10s. Bd. on .£200; 255. on .E300; 335. Id. on'.£4oo; and 41s. Bd. on J~SOO. Mr. Massey, therefore, can spare- his tears so far* as tho small ■ holders are concerned, and save them up for tho big landholders, who, of course, will hayo to make up the difference, and can well afford to do so.—l am, etc., ARTHUR WITHT, Gen. Sec. N.Z. Land Values League. August 17, 1911.