VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 26

VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS.

MELBOURNE, September 1.

In the State Assembly the Treasurer introduced the Governments land taxation proposals. These provide for levying a tax of a halfpenny in the pound on estates whose unimproved value is from £500 to £2500, three farthings up to £5000, a penny up to £10,000, and proportionately increasing to 2d in -the pound where the value is £50,000, and 3d in estates above £80,000. I The Treasurer, in moving the second reading of the bill, said that its main objects were : Firstly, extension of agri- , cultural settlement ; and, " secondly, to meet the expected shortage of the Cus- * toms returns from the Commonwealth. He proposed to break up large estates by their steady decrease. The reason for the exemption to £500 was conditioned by the desire to see closer settlement. At present there w«re 405 estates in Victoria each of over £25,000 in capital value. Forty -five men were holding 1,296,000 acres, to. the value of £7,153,000. Owing to the scarcity of land for settlement the Government found difficulty in keeping their people. During the past 27 years they Had lost over 12,000 people in excess of emigration over immigration. He expected that the tax would yield { £318,000 annually, including the present land tax. He proposed to earmark £50,000 annually for a reduction in railway freights and the construction of country railways. j Mr Prendergast indicated that the Labour party would support the tax.