LOCAL BODY TAXATION

Otago Witness, Issue 4031, 16 June 1931, Page 61

LOCAL BODY TAXATION

LIGHTENING THE BURDEN

THE GOVERNMENT’S INTENTIONS WELLINGTON, June 12.

Local body government is a question to which the Prime Minister (Mr G. W. Forbes) hopes to give close attention at an early date. When he made his economy statement in February last, Mr Forbes stated that the Government proposed to set up a commission to go fully iuto the incidence of local body taxation. With many other pressing calls on his time of late, however, Mr Forbes has found little opportunity to deal with the matter, but in answer to an inquiry to-day he indicated that the Government was anxious to make the inquiry as soon as possible. What form the inquiry will take Mr Forbes is not yet able to say. Discussing the question, Air Forbes stated that the Government hoped to make the inquiry at the earliest opportunity. “ I am not certain yet what form it will take,” he said. “ The department dealing with local bodies will naturally take some part in it. Amalgamation has been advocated where local authorities are operating over the same district. No doubt a reduction of overhead expenses will benefit the ratepayers, and it seems that this could be brought about by amalgamation. Taking the local bodies as a whole, they are operating very satisfactorily, but these are times when costs in every direction have got to be investigated to see what cutting down can be made to relieve the taxpayer.”