The Fielding Star, OROUA & KIWITEA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. MONDAY, JAN. 21, 1895

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 173, 21 January 1895, Page 2

The Fielding Star, OROUA & KIWITEA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. MONDAY, JAN. 21, 1895

THE REVENUE. The state of the finances of the colony as indicated by the following figures for which we acknowledge our indebtedness to the Wellington Post, is far from satisfactory. The estimated revenue for the year was set down at £4,235,000. The receipts for the ti t three quarters amount to £2,995,799. Assuming that the * returns of tbe four:h quarter are at the same rate, there will be a deficiency at the end of the year of £240,6.02, The fallingoff appears to be general in all branches of the reveriue. at i (fee rate of tbe got three quarters the

customs will only yield £1,512,624, instead of £1,600,000; Beer Duty, £56,118, instead of £60,000; rail ways, £1,039,002, instead of £1,270,---000 ; Territorial Revenue, £255,297, instead of £290,000 ; Marine, £19,568 instead of £20,000 and so on. The only branches of revenue which show a prospect of increases are— Land and Income Tax, £378,120, instead of £350,000 ; Registration fees, £49,524 instead of £47,000; and Stamps, including Postal, £644,949, instead of £638,000. The total deficit, however, will be at the present rate nearly a quarter of a million, and this des pite tbe fact that the estimate was £133,538 less than the actual reveuue of last year. The only remedy that can suggest itself to the Cabinet will be increaeod taxation. We can expect nothing else, and the labors of ihe Tariff Commissioners will doubt less be confined to piling on alleged protective duties in the vain hope of making up the deSoiency. Tbe most unpleasant reflection we have in this connection is that the new loans, or by whatever name the Colonial Treasurer prefers to designate the recent additions made to the indebtedness of the colony, must necessitate a large sum of money being paid away to meet the interest in addition to that which is already such a burden on the taxpayors. We are perfectly correct in deducing from the figures quoted that the expenditure of the colony ex ceeds the revenue. How the Colonial Treasurer will get himself out of the difficulty remains to be seen, but everything points in the direction of increased taxatiou through the customs.