PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 770, 30 September 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Wellixuton', September 28.

In the House of Representatives on Friday, Mr. Wakefield asked under what audio, ity the stun of 1.r,0,000 was deducted from .subsidies to local bodies and applied to hospitals ;uid charitable instltu-

The ilou. ,1. Rnllaiice replied that, the authority was : i- the arrangements Aei,' IS7<;.' The basis of division was certain'instructions to the Treasury, copy of which was laid on the table.

The Bill for the sale of the reclaimed land in tbe CitA of Wellington was read a third time and passed. Tiie House then went into Committee on die Land 'lav. Hill.

In clause n, Mr. Whitakcr proposed the formation of two funds. The land fund .-.hould he applied to railways and public works, and kept ipiite separate from ordinarv revenue. lie was in fawn of a land inx, but would propose an amendment that, the tax should be added to die land fund, and applied ; a meet 10-ins and charges for public works. Now was a convenient time to do this, and if u>e principle proposed •'. etc on new 'loans, let the land tax be increased'to meet that charge. He desired to keep these charges altogether separate from ordinary revenue. A principle of valuation should be laid down by the House. It was done in tbe United Stages. A general valuation should he made under authority of the House, which would be far more satisfactory than the present system. Mr. liowen objected to the prh'ciple of tuv'm.c, land without improvements beinir also ta:;c<l. tie favored the American .system of te- it.g ..U descriptions of prouertv

in. Saunders thought it better to confine the dis eussion to clause 3. He moral that all the laiut in the Colony should he liable to land tax without exemption". The owner of LfiOO worth of land was not necessarily a poor man. It was unadvisable 10 leave a power of taxing in tbe bauds of a class exempt from that taxation.

Mr. Gisljorne moved that a penny land tax eUguM he levied instead of a half-penny. If Ui:S were not carried he would move thai r.!'. improvements should he taxed.

D.i. Ijocigkiiisoii thought small holders bettor able to riay a land tux than the class next above them. Mr* Wooleock proposed that holders of property should pav on a sliding' scale, thus : Under LSO, a farthing: from LSOO to' L-10,000, a half-penny ; from LIO,OOO to L 20,000, three farthings: above L' 20,000, one penny. Mr. supported the WTi.endinent of Mr Saunders.

The Hon. J. Ballance contended that some cxemp.i.jiv should be made, because below a certain sum the tax would not pay the cost of collection. It was unadvisable to increase the tax, as a new tax is always pressed unfairly in some instances. The Government proposed in future that all surplus of the land fvtinl should he paid over to the Public Works fund. Mr. Wakefield said that the House last year decided that a jjeneral property and income tax was required, Out that resolution hud not been complied with. If such a measure had been brought down, four-fifths of the House would have supported it. He would have been one of its warmest supporters. Sir Georse Greywas bound to support this amendment, as only last year he had said that every man holding property should pav his fair share of taxation, if it wxtc only M. He had said that all classes, without exception, should be taxed : but this Bill proposed to exempt to enlarge land owners at their own expense. It was the first attempt at class legislation, and should be resisted accordingly. The debate was iiiterrupteci bv the adjournment at The House met at /.30 p.m. Jn Committee on the Land Tax Bill, the discussion on Mr. Saunders' amendment was resumed.

The amendment was negatived on a division hy-li to :il.

Mr. Saunders proposed further amendments to clause 4, by which the primary value of laud should be altered from LI per acre, and Borough lands be reduced from Lf>o valuation to L-2.'..

Mr. Wason considered, tins clause the most objectionable feature in the Bill. He proposed that the clause excluding Improvement, should be amended to read thus :- " All land shall be valued at the capital value thereof to sell."

The Hon. .1. Sheehan thought it would be unfair to claim the unearned increment, because the chance of that had been sold with the fee simple. It would be much cheaper to take the present, principle of valuation at present existing-. He would support the amendment.