The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1891. The Financial Statement

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 152, 18 June 1891, Page 2

The Feilding Star. THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 1891. The Financial Statement

I The Financial Statement made by the ' Honorable the Colonial Treasurer on , Tuesday night, a "synopsis of which appears in another column, is one which will fail to give anything like general satisfaction. There is to be no reduction in the total amount of I taxation. What part of the burden l is taken off one shoulder is put ou another. The substitution of a Landand Income tax for the Property Tax was not unexpected but whether the sanguine expectations, of the Treasurer wiU be realised is quite another thing. 'To begin with, the expense of assessing the values, hearing objections, and then collecting the tax will absorb a very large percentage pf the first year's estimated revenue from .that source. The tax on the totalisator we have always advocated, because we consider that so long as the totalisator is a " legal institution " it should be made to contribute to the revenue, if. only on the ground that all moneys spent on -luxuries are specially marked out for taxation. We admit at once that it is a very open question whether the Government should protect this kind of vice, in the face of the signincent facts that there is at present a crusade against gambling in England, and that in the" " pari mutuel," the father of the totalisator, has been made illegal, .and all gambling on racecourses there absoluti ly prohibited. It was expected from what was said by' a member of the Cabinet, on a recent occasion, that " consultations " would again be permitted in New Zealand, to " keep the money iv the country " which is now sent to New South Wales, but we suppose the Colonial Treasurer thought he risked quite enough ou the totalisator. We shall hot be surprised to see " a row iv the House " over this Jtem, which may end in the legal death of " tho machine. " As we did not even venture to hope there would be auy attempt made to reduce taxation ou the necessaries of life, we were not disappointed when we found that no immediate alteration is to be made in the Customs tariff, in that' direction, and that the present fiscal rates are to remain untouched. Taking the statement altogether, the Colonial Treasurer has attempted neither more nor less than to fulfil the promises made on the hustings. That his. proposals will not meet favor from the Opposition is inevitable, but, constituted as parties now are in the House, the chances are very much in favor of the adoption of the bulk of them.