PUBLIC MEETING AT KAIAPOI.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1976, 24 June 1880, Page 4

PUBLIC MEETING AT KAIAPOI.

A public meeting called by the Mayor at the request of the Town Council was held in the Oddfellows' Hall, on Monday evening. Before the mooting clo3ed thirty-four persons attended.

The Mayor commenced proceedings by reading tho advertisement, and the portions of the Property Tax Act referring to the question at issue. Mr It. Moore nio7od —" That whilst this meeting is fully alive to the necessity for additional taxation, it considers that the property tax is oppressive, injudicious, and inquisitive, and further considers that if a direct tax is necessary a real property and income tax would be least objectionable." He had not intended to move in the matter, but did so no one elso coming forward. The objections to the proposed property tax were the statements required of book debts and securities, which, although Government sa,id they would be kept as State secrets, he pointed_ out as a State secret had become public property at Napier the other day, it was possible for certain persons as well as certain institutions beooming aware of the secrets which would be obtained from the forms issued. The property tax, ho further maintained, handicapped tha local industries and the producing power of tho country. It was unfair that storekeepers should be taxed upon stock on which they migbt sustain u loss, or whioh became afterwards unsaleable. It was hard that producing companies should be taxed in respect of their property, and on tho balance of assets over liabilities. Wero a company paying dividends of 8 or 10 per cent., the tax would not be so objectionable ; but they all knew that hardly any of their local industries had yet begun to earn a return on the outlay of their establishment. It appeared that for every eighteen of the population there was ene civil servant, and he did not see why the seventeen should pay all the salaries and keep the' civil service up, and the members of that service, who were skimming the crpam of the country, should be exempt. Mr W. Fraser, after a pauao, briefly seconded the motion. Mr B. Evans moved an amendment —" That this meeting is of opinion that a general property tax is a fair way of raising-the revenue of the country at the present time' to meet existing emergencies." The mover of the resolution, he pointed out, indicated, that while willing to see £2OOO worth of land taxed objected to have £2OOO of business or machine plant taxed. Now he could not see how the latter should be exempted. It was evident that the men who held land during the past two years had far tho worst of it in their enterprise. The men who made the most ado over the property tax appeared to be the money lenders. Now it seemed to him a very fair thing to tax the monied men in the way the Act proposed. Mr J. H. Moore seconded. Mr. It. Woodford pointed out tlat when the country was in a difficulty it became the duty of every one to assist in relieving the burthen, and for this reason he favoured a real property tax without any exemptions. Every one who had read the report of the Civil Service Commission must be gratified with the work of the Government. They ought to take the bull by tho horns and by the aid of a light tax and the observance of a rigid economy tide over the hard times. Mr Blackwoll left the chair to state that he waß in favor of the tax being a general one. Regarding an income tax, he pointed out that if the farmers had suffered in their incomes the storekeepers had also suffered. If the tax was to be kept up on book depts he thought possibly that would be an incentive to tradesmen to keep their debts down. If the Government placed a tax on industries it would he possible for Government to increase the import duties as a sort of protection or set off. The amondment was put, and on a show of hands carried by a large majority. It was decided that the result of the meeting be telegraphed to the member for the district. Mr Woodford moved —"That all property should bear its equal share of taxation, with the exemption of all personal effects, machinery,' and all kinds of [tools used in manufactories and local industries." Thi3 motion was not seconded. A vote of thanks to the Mayor concluded the proceedings.