The Poor Farmer

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 153, 20 June 1891, Page 4

The Poor Farmer

A " fa'^mpf ,',' sends the following "to the Uawera Star; — "The Uon. 11. ' Beddon,: , Minister of - Mines, in " his speech. at the Thames stated that the Government had made up thiir minds to alter /the jncideu^e of taxation and' put a" tax upon land, as at present, under- 'thei Property-Tax- (id in" the' £>land' only; paid £'350,000;' and that - over a'> million and a half' was paid, through the Customs.' When the Minister made that statement he must have overlooked the fact that landowners .paid iv direct .taxation, and upon the -Property^tax valuation,. a country, road board, arid charita le aid tax.-, The, two first mentioned are 3sd^ andr.thu latter £d in the £, so tha,t^tn > e,',iand pays a further direct tax of, £61 2, 500. As these ' taxes ai c, paid to tiie' local bodieß without* any exemption, as in the case of the Property ' Tax, a' further sum 540,000 " niayrbe'added, co that the land is • directlyii/ taxed, to' the extent of JBI,OO2jSOO. Fuither,- landowners re-' - cognising i that land has'i's responsibility,- — have- in — many — instances iriortgagfed* their lands- to the Government- to 'raise 'special loans' lor, the purpose of making l roads iv their -districts, thereby enhancing the value of , the public lands of the colony further back from ihe uiain road and railways Can such be' said of the owners "of auy larjre ' mining'clai'm or factory in the colony ? Do not the "farmer's contribute their share to- - -word-Tthe million aud a' half received tluough the Customs? Do not they \ pa'y d 25 peF'cent on agricultural wnplVnieutsj'? Do not'tKe farmers pay « very large' proportiou of the°earn- , injjf^pf, the railways - by ( , finding loading both^waysrto^and from the ports ? Is it not within'reasonftosaVthat they pay 2* per cent in freight ou.the fourteen millions, wliioh the railways have cost .- the' country ?" ' ,^ -. w