TAX EXEMPTIONS

Evening Star, Issue 19783, 6 February 1928, Page 8

TAX EXEMPTIONS

GAS COMPANY’S GRIEVANCE

217,500 ANNUALLY WHILE POWER BOARD RIVAL UNTAXED

[Per United Press Association.]

AUCKLAND, February 6. At tho annual meeting of the Auckland Gas Company Mr Upton (chairman) referred to tho inequitable incidence of income tax, whereby tho gas ..■ompaoy’s very active rivals, the Auckland Electric Power Board, wore exempted, while tho Gas Company paid £17,500, It was a differential tax found only in half-civilised countries. “ But,” continued Mr Upton, “our Government is superior to all that, and is a law unto itself. No redress is made. Consider what would happen were the Government to extend its operations a little further, and undertake the whole business of the country, and apply tho same method of exemption as now applied to municipal and Government trading. All business would be exempt, and tho revenue would have to lie found by lawyers, agents, and teachers, doctors, editors of newspapers, by tho professional classes in fact, aided by any unfortunate old people who. under happier circumstances, had saved a. few pounds for their old ago.”