AUSTRALIAN LAND TAX.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1486, 8 July 1912, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN LAND TAX.

EFFECT OP YEAR'S OPERATION.

. By.Teleeraph-Press AesoolatlpnT-bopyrtelil ..''' ; ; Sydney, July" 6./ ■ The .annual ; report of .the '.land'-Tax Commissioner-. indicates '.that* there been-, a: substantial-subdivisional-: 'mover . meat among, land. owners as the result, pt the.' (ax,':'while'' purchases''"by ■' taxpayers Indicate that the tax has not.'debarred increasing their, holdings. I■■■}■'■ ■-■■■"*■'■ SOMIIJOITICIAI,;]?IGx|rES.': ; : .Reports supplied to Federal, Ministers by the Federal 1 Land. Tax/Commissioner claim that,: while'the operation 1 of the tax has revealed some 'striking, anomalies which may.be tho- subject of an'ainend- . ing,jjßill, 'it :is ,)-et aohievin?' its main purpose of,'bursting up; big estates. The assessments for 'the'second year's fax represent a falling off in the tax'.'of more' ■th'an;#l2P,ooo, oriahbut 10 percent," Eeports from the valuers and:deputycpminissionors insist that this deoreaso in the tax represents,the effect of the. first years tax in bursting up: estates. To Boma slight, extent it.js'tfue to tho '■decreased value of ■■ the la,nd assessed, but the commissioner claim? that the principal'reason is -that-many, owners have cut 'Tip their estates.: Tables of statistics have been prepared upholding this/view."'''". !: ■Olter proof that the' estates have been i aold.and subdivided is said to be contain ed-m a table setting out tie sales .'and purchases of land by payers of the land 1 tax during 1 the nine months ended June SO, 1911.:, In this period 181288- taxpayers "sold land of an unimproved land value of .£18,188,293. Of this land, half was cut upj'-and the smaller holdings were below the ,£sooo.exemptions.. Of the purchasers, 3874 were payers of the land tax, and -.vi?»A a P" th » e y was valued at ".£9,266,506. -lir addition .£{,000,000 worth of land was sold.by taxpayers during the preceding three months: so that for the first:year the total,sale of taxable estates amounted to jE22,000,0f10. This represented 13 per cent, of the estates taxed , in.Australia for the year. ■ The Queensland tax was only .£118,953,: Whereas Wow South Wales paid and South,. Australia—a State "with less papulation and wealth .than, Queensland —paid,,£135,097. Queensland taxpayers numbered only 857. while South Austra • lias/numbered 1690. In both.. cases the' figures are exclusive of the few who paid at the central office. '•,•'. One reason given for this is the comparatively large number of small esifcates in Queensland, but the preponderat- , rag reason is•/ the extensive use of the' lease system in that Statei '.'