BELGIAN RELIEF.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 1368, 2 March 1915, Page 3

BELGIAN RELIEF.

LETTER TO THE PREMIER

As an outcome of Thursday night's public meeting, the following letter has been forwarded by the Mayor to the Prime Minister. When a reply is received a further meeting will be held to consider the question of further local relief “Sir,—At a public meeting.held last night at Boston to consider measures to be taken for the relief of the Belgians, the following resolution was passed : “That this meeting urges the Government, for the purpose of providing means towards the relief of the Belgians, to introduce legislation increasing the land and income tax to establish a fund for that purpose. “The meeting further decided that a summary of the reasons advanced for the proposed measure should be forwarded to you with the letter conveying the resolution. I accordingly append a concise statement of the arguments put forward and discussed :

“(1). That the very large expenditure required by the war should have a substantial basis of support by law affecting proportionately all those most concerned. “(2). Even neutral countries in such an emergency provide special war taxes, as in the case of America at the present time.

“(3). The British income tax system, from which ours is de rived, originated in a war tax of this kind established for the purpose of meeting expenses incident to war.

“(4) The necessity for the relief of the Belgians will most probably be continuous until the war is ended, and cannot permanently be provided for by contributions from charitably-disposed persons, but only by a regular and reliable source provided by the Government from equitable taxation. “(5)- By placing the taxation on land and income it does not press on the workers. “(6). The large income earners and landowners would be far greater losers than the workers in the event of a victory of our enemies, and they caunot, therefore reasonably object to bear the main expense. “(7). By increasing the laud and income tax as suggested, the ordinary revenues of the country will not be interfered with, and accordingly public works and the prosperity of the country will not be lessened.

“(8). By the proposed method, every member of the community who is in a position to contribute will do so proportionately, whereas by voluntary contributions many persons who can easily contribute, and whose interests are protected at the expense of others, may pay nothing. “(9). It will be impossible by means of voluntary contributions to obtain either a sufficient amount or a permanent source of revenue for the purposes required. “(10). Taxation of income will provide a source of revenue from those most concerned in the result of the war, aud taxation of land values will provide a source from property which is indirectly benefited by the war through the increased price of produce. “The meeting desired me, when forwarding you this communication, to ask whether an early reply could be forwarded, intimating whether the Government would give favourable consideration to the proposal-”

Questioned on the subject of the appeal for the Belgian Reliet Fund, the Prime Minister said that the matter was being com sidered by Cabinet. ‘‘Nothing has so far reached us from the Imperial authorities or from the Belgian Commission, or from any other source outside New Zealand except the recently published cablegram from the Prime Minister? of the Commonwealth.”

H. J. T. Hume, writing to the Wellington Post regarding war taxation, favours an immediate measure by Parliament, reducing the ordinary exemptions under the Land and Income Tax by half, doubling the tax, and, further, trebling it for all bachelors, who have not volunteered for service at the Lout. The measure should be made retrospective, first payment on 31st March. This, Mr Plume contends, would provide a sum sufficient for all war needs at present.