LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3119, 25 June 1917, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

SOLDIERS AND TAXES Sir,—Now that members of the Secondf. \_ Division are considering sotting their aU- - f a ire in order in anticipation of tlie call, may I conimoud to your notice the in-i c.idence of taxation on their dependants during their absence on active service ami prior to departure. In IMS tho Death Duties Act amended, so as to pass free of duty th<? e-tato of a soldier dying on active sor-»' vice up to JSOOO. So far as I am aware,.' however, no relaxation was made in. theri "ift duty which still stands at 5 perf rent oil all gifts of .£IOOO in value, mf elusive of anything given .withiii the pro-: vioiis twelve months. j Now 1 anticipate that the average mam, with .1 house, a lifejjoHcy, and a fovv hundred pounds worth of furniture, aiidi investments will, prior to his departures make it! all over to his wife, thereby; saving her the legal expenses of proving his will should he die, and the very reai • mental distress of passing his estate bej fore an unsympathotic stamp officer, andl proving it is not worth WcU, Hir the man who does thSt will find Ji* less the law is amended, that he writ have to pay the Government 5 per cenU cash ou the value of the property h<s. hands over and another 5 per cent if on] * bis return to Sew Zealand ho seeks t<B reclaim it, j Then, again, there is the land tax ana income tax. True, there are exemptions* but the averago woman will have to make both ends meet on about half taa amount she had when her husband was in) active work. Why should she par any! taxes of this nature, and why should)' she be worried with making oat the very complicated returns required., oy to* taxing Acts? Very few women coulos do it without legal assistance. . . ■ I now come to the local rates, wniclt in. Wellington, at aiiyrate, are by BO; means light. I recognise that in returai for these rates the services of street llgttJ in<r, sanitation, etc., are excellent, and that those cannot bo had for nothing I venture to suggest that in the caee;ofl a soldier actually away on active Eer-J vice, o'ne-half should bo remitted to his! wife each year, and that /in the event ofl his dealVthe whole should be remitted, so long as she has children under six' teen dependent, upon her.—l am, etc.,