THE PROPERTY TAX.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume III, Issue 316, 25 November 1881, Page 3

THE PROPERTY TAX.

In connection with Mr Seymour s remarks upon the Property lax, the following, which we extract from the Wanganui Chronicle will possess an interest for our readers. Our contemporary nays in the course of it* article on this subject : “The. Slums professed themselves certain that the tax would not he paid without an amount of trouble and expense which would render the result valueless, except ns a record of ignominious failure. Jhit they proved to lie utterly in the wrong. Notwithstanding the dullness of the times the money flowed in briskly. There never was a tax more easily collected. There literally was no fuss whatever made over the matter by those who had to pay. They saw that the money was wanted, and they acknowledged the fairness of calling on owners of property to contribute in proportion - to their means. But before this satisfactory result was fully achieved it had become amply apparent to the masses that, after all the efforts which had been made to excite them against the tax, it was not a matter which affected their pockets or caused them one moment's inconvenience. 'l’lie Shams had carefully kept out of sight the fact that the tax would touch no man who did not possess moie than lire hundred pound's worth of property, and that its operation would therefore be confined to a very small number of the community, who were able to hear the burden. The masses had the truth forced on them. There were no domiciliary visits : they never saw a tax-collector ; they were asked to fill up no form ; they were not called on to pay one farthing. Then they naturally enough began to wonder what all the fuss had been about, and to suspect that the self-dubbed friends of the poor man had as ■ sual been endeavoring to make the poor man their tool and agent in selfish political designs. Therefore, it is that, if the | sham • Liberals attempt to make capi- j tal at the elections out ot the Pro- j jierty Tax ipicstiou, they will find their • task more difficult than it formerly j was. There is nothing like experience. and, after such a result as we have . mentioned above, no amount of declamation I will induce people to believe that a tax they have never been called on, and never j will he called on, to pay, is a grievous and unjust burden from which they ought as ! speedily as possible to he relieved. As for ] those who have had to pay the tax, we have shown that they do not complain, nor will j they do so until the state of the finances is siidi as to admit the burden being dispensed with altogether. It is possible the constituencies may yet he bored with the old and well-worn fads about an Income Tax and a Land Tax ; lint they are satisfied with tbe justice and convenience of the Property Tax, and they know right well that the Land Tax is nil- j just in singling out one class of property as the subject of a special impost ; and that the Income Tax is really open to all. and far more than all, tha objections which the sham-Liberals falsely urged against the 1 Property Tax. Still, those unfortunate ! people must either do something for their living or erase to exist. The country is most heartily tired of them, hut we can scarcely blame them for not sharing in the j general opinion with regard to their demerits. Attacks on the Property Tax, and j shallow argument and false statements as j to the two which the .Shams would put in j its place furnish just as harmless a way as ! any other of keeping themselves alive and j airing their eloquence.