PUBLIC PURSE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3896, 17 January 1929, Page 3

PUBLIC PURSE.

— HOW IT IS FILLED. VARIETY OF TAXES. The New Zealand citizen pays a \aricty of taxes, direct and indirect, in order to keep the coffers of State in a solvent condition. In the present article the main sources of the State’s revenue are shown, the figures being taken from the 1929 Year Book.

The total amount received by way of taxation during the year ended 31st March, 1928, was £17,145,145. Customs and y excise duties accounted for £8,872,212, land tax for £1,154,479, income tax for £3,273,729, death duties for £1,899,370, totalisator taxes for £567,890, and other taxes for £1,377,465. The following table shows the total amount of taxation received each year since 1919: £ 1919 13,801,643 1920 16,251,769 1921 22,184,414 1922 16,370,516 1923 15,715,380 1924 16*540,438 1925 16,549,609 1926 17,254,688 1927 17,437,827 1928 17,145,145 (Customs and excise duties amount to 51.75 per cent, of the total taxation, the percentage having practically douibled since 1919, when it stood at 29.74 per cent, of the total. On the other hand, the amount received by way of incometax has decreased from £6,219,336, or 45.06 per cent, of the total in 1919, to £3,273,729, of 19.10 per cent, of the total in 1928. Land lax has also dropped from £1,512,693, or 10.96 per cent, in 1919, to £1,154,479, or 6.73 per cent., in 1928, Death duties have increased by nearly £1,000,000 since 1919, and the totalisator taxes have increased from £229,273 in 1919 to £567 a B9O in 1928. Totalisator taxes now account for 3.31 per cent, of the total. It is interesting to note the amount of taxation per head of mean population, including Maoris, during the last ten years. The figures are

A special form of taxation operating’ in New Zealand is that paid into the Revenue Account of the Main Highways Board. This is derived from three sources: (a) All moneys received as Customs duties imposed in respect of rubber tires, rubber tiring, and inner tubes of rubber for pneumatic tires; (b) all moneys received by the Crown under any Act in respect of the licensing of motor-vehicles; (c) all moneys received in respect of taxation on motor spirits. In 1928 the amount received by way of the tire tqx was £227,451, motor spirits accounted for £143,516, and fees collected under the Motor Vehicles Act for £345,510, making a total of £716,477, or 4.18 per cent, of I the.total amount received by way of taxation. The Main Highways taxation has increased steadily since 1923, as is shown by the following table: — Amount Propor-

It should be pointed out that the collection of fees under the Motor Vehicles Act did not comimence until 1925, and that the motor spirits taxation did not operate until 1928. The State also receives a substantial revenue fi’om death duties. The amounts received since 1919 are as follows: — & 1919 869,371 1920 978,095 1921 1,106,925 1922 ' 1,512,754 1923 1,829,852 1924 1,617,315 1925 1,520,749 1926 1,484,189 1927 1 1,690,374 1928 1,599,370 The 1928 figures were made up as follows: Estate duty, £1,455,976; succession duty, £391,738; gift duty, £51,656. Investments made in the totalisator also return quite a substantial sum to the State. During the year which ended on 31st July last, there 'were racing days and 2523 races. The amount paid out in stakes was £591,780, the totalisator investments amounted to £7,634,077, and the amount paid out in dividends to £6,489,047. The Government taxes were as follows: On totalisator investments, £190,852; on dividends, £343,591; on stakes, £29,589. Total, £564,032. Refunds to racing clubs in respect of permanent improvements to racecourse totalled £25,209 in the financial year 1927-28, as against £31,174 during the preceding twelve months.

During 1928 the amusement tax collected by the State amounted to £63,163. '

1919 £ s. d. 11 17 1 1920 13 11 1 1921 17 14 4 1922 12 14‘®8 1923 11 19 8 1924 12 8 0 1925 12 3 5 1926 12 7 11 1927 12 5 6 1928 11 17 7

Received tion of total per £ cent. 1923 121.092 0.77 1924 123,568 0.75 1925 409,803 2.48 1926 315,392 • 1.83 1927 586,372 3.36 1928 716,477 4.18