A HEAVY HANDICAP.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1923, Page 4

A HEAVY HANDICAP.

STATICS SHARK OF RACIN':} CLUB'S REVENUE.

AUCKLAND, Aug. 27

The 11 Host ion ol the taxation oil racing was commenced upon hv the Hon 10. V,'. Alison, president of the. Takapuna •)o< key Club at the annual meetinn of the Clnli. held this afternoon.

.Mr Alison pointed out that in taxation last year the Tnkapuua Clnh pa id to the Government £18,2-11 8s 9d and for other taxes and local rates £027 Ids 2d. making a total paid in taxes of £18.870 Is lid. Members would note In, reference to the profit and loss account that stakes paid to owners amounted to £17.700. while the amount paid to the Government for actual racing taxation exceeded that sum by jc-ViOl 8s Od. C ould anyone fairly contend that the incidence ol taxation imposed on raring clubs was equitable or that it was not uii])roportiunate to that imp ised upon any other section of ratepayers ! He unhesitatingly would say it was unfair. It was certain that unless there was a revision of the extremely heavy taxation imposed as a war measure on raring clubs many of them would lie driven out of existence.

“The most inequitable, I might say unjust, feature of rating taxation.” continued the chairman, “is that a club is compelled to pay the same rate of taxation whether its meeting is profitable or unprofitable. Many clubs have held meetings which proved to he financially disastrous, nevertheless the same heavy taxation with the exception of income-tax had to he paid. Surely such a system of taxation is palpably wrong and should he speedily remedied. The over-burdening taxation imposed on racing clubs was so severely I wit during the past few years by a number of Auckland country clubs that they betaine financially embarrassed, ami were reluctantly compelled to ask the Having Conference and the Auckland District Committee for permission to race on the Auckland metropolitan and suburban courses. ( oiisent was given and the several country racing clubs affected slid essfully held their meetings on the courses mentioned, pooling the surplus. Then again, railway rates on the carriage of racehorses also require revision, for at present they are almost prohibitory. The railway rales press so heavily on the majority of owners that they are debarred from travelling tnoir horses by rail to distant race meetings. This hardship not only affects owners, bill is prejudicial to the interests ..I racing dubs, to the railways anil to the State. It is not moivl.v freight that is lost to the railways, hut al-u the passenger trallie. as every raieImr.se has its followers and supporters. It is hoped that the .Minister of Hallways, who intends revising the existing tariff. will see his way to substantially reduce the freight charges on ran-lnji-.es and thereby do justice to owners and raring eltihs, and. at the same time, increase the railway passenger returns and Stale ret emie.