TAXATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 November 1924, Page 4

TAXATION.

■ADDRESS BY Alt? F. J ROLLFSTON, ALP.

TIMA It U, November IS.

At to-night’s meeting of tin: South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, an address was given by Mr F. .J. Rolleston, M.P., on the report of the Taxation Commission.

Mr .Holloston said that, excepting the chairman, who was a Judge of the Supreme Court, three out of the four members ol the 102-1 Commission had been members of the previous Commission, as might therefore have been expected, did not diller very greatly from that of the previous one. it would have been better had the Commission of 1021 been wider in its scope and contained in its personnel representatives of other classes besides the commercial community. As a result the evidence offered had been largely that of one class of taxpayer, and necessarily the conclusions of the Commission were not its vtilutiblo as they alight have been. After summarising the recommendations of the Commission with regard to income-tax, the speaker went on to deal with the laud tax. He said that, the Commissioners had. without giving any detailed reasons, merely teconuiieiided the abolition ol the lalnltax and. the graduated fax, and suggested in its place a graduated incometax uii all income Iron) land. The present law was that land in the cities paid only laud and income-tax, while land held for farming, unless it was leased, was subject to land-tax only. As to Hie practical effect of tins recommendation the land-tax assessed for the last year was roughly one and •i-half millions, whereas the income-tax from farm lands in any one year would not exceed £210,000. therefore, the abolition of the land-tax, and the substitution of the income-tax would at the present time, involve a loss ol revenue of one and a-qunrter millions, which would, have to he made up by an increase of the income-tax oi b> soluo indirect tnxntimi. Mr Kolleston adduced a number of arguments in favour of the land-tax, ~mt concluded by saying that it was safe to say that there was no (.Jinnee in the near future of this recommendation being carried into elleet.