PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1880. THUMBSCREW TAXATION.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 531, 10 June 1880, Page 2

PATEA MAIL PUBLISHED Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1880. THUMBSCREW TAXATION.

A short way to demoralise the public conscience is to pass an act requiring a man to reveal, on path, the innermost secrets of his financial position. The taxpayer is to stand and deliver. It is not enough that he turns out his pockets and empties his .parse: the official highwayman must search the rich rascal for himself—must cut open the lining of bis waistcoat for hidden valuables, and must even taka off his boots and feel for sovereigns in his stockings. That is what the Government is doing with the taxpayer. He cannot be trusted to say that he has property valued at £SOO a year. How could a hard-up Government trust him to tell the truth ? Governments measure the individual taxpayer by their own standard; so that a Government which tells only as much truth as is convenient may be justified in supposing that tax-, payers always do the same. The principle as clear.; it is -that every, man wonld be a rogue if he could; and as’•

Government does not like rogues, it takes care ' that the taxpayer shall be honest in- spite of his original sinfulness. This is what old-world critics call paternal Government. New-world critics might even call it maiden-aunt government. Those thumbscrew squeezers at Wellington have just relaxed their grip of the tongs. The patient tax-payer has stood a few turns, with only a little wincing, but an extra sharp squeeze made him roar and kick j and the torturers let go of the instrument and ran away. They got frightened. They say they didn’t 'mean it. They are sorry, and will promise not to turn the screw again, if some other instrument of torture can be made to do the work more gently. : And the taxpayer draws breath again, and says “ Thank goodness for that much

This is the day of small things. The Property Tax Act was devised to tax small things. No sort of property was too minute for . the paternal Government which rules us with overreaching wisdom. They have a fatherly way of handling ouf valuablesProperty has been denounced aforetime as a sin. a robbery of the. communal majority. .We are being; led to that stage of enlightenment by gentle stages. It is declared a sin, by Act of Parliament, to possess property unknown and unrevealed to* the Government, The only property omitted from the taxation schedule appears to be artificial teeth. Those taxpayers who have got teeth—with or without the knowledge of the Government —are now showing how to bite. It is a wholesome lesson, the biter bit. It is the paternal Government, the thumbscrew patentees, who are now wincing in turn, and crying “peccavi.” They don’t like to be squeezed. They had a good end in view, and their good end justified their foul means.

A Government that provokes a nation to stand at bay must be in pitiful need of worldly wisdom. The taxpayers who were tortured with this property inquisition have turned on their pursuers. The surprise is that any body of men calling .themselves politicians could possibly expect an intelligent colony to submit to a tyranny more irritating, more wanton, more stupid than any political form of taxation imposed in modern times by any Government based on representative in-: stitutions. This Property Tax Act was accepted by Parliament as a grievous necessity, but did Parliament authorise the inquisitorial machinery by which the amount of a man’s goods was to be ascertained ? Parliament passed the Bill, and left the details of collection to be carried out by the Ministry. How the Ministry performed -that work, how they abused their opportunity, how they exceeded their .duty as responsible politicians, is known by this time to every taxpayer who has received . and attempted to All up that fearful and wonderful tax-paper. Now the Ministry say they are surprised that taxpayers find the “ paper ” so objectionable. They are surprised that sensible men should protest against a peremptory and brutal inquisition by Government officers into one’s private affairs. The Ministry say they will consider whether some of the more irritating interrogatories can be done away with. And that is called a “ concession.” Our heaven-born politicians tumble out of one mess into another.

TEE BUDGET. : The Financial Statement laid before Parliament shows a deficiency on the year of £990,000 ; and to get over the difficulty temporarily, the Colonial Treasurer issued deficiency bills (floating debt at short dates) to the amount of one million sterling. The. Public Debt amounts to over twenty-seven millions sterling, involving a yearly,charge for interest of £1,535,000.; A new tax of 6d a gallon is laid on beer, and subsidies to local bodies are stopped.

; CHANGE OF AIR. Justices’ justice takes technical forms of expression, occasionally. Presiding at the R.M. Court on Tuesday, Dr Croft showed how to ' combine medical solicitude for the general health with a just . and; merciful administration* ‘ of punishment. A man had, contracted .a common disease known as impecuniosity. It became necessary- to administer a sedative. The medico-judicial chairman (the right man in the right place) gently felt the debtor’s .pulse .by; asking, » Why have you not paid this man his money ?”—Debtor : “lhave hot got the means now. : ’—Doctor : “ But you say you have been getting 6s 6d: a day in the Armed Constabulary -Debtor: “ Yes, your Worship.”—Doctor: “ Then pay in a week, or 14 days’change of air. If you don’t know what that means, it .means . Taranaki gaol.,”—-That debtor retired abashed. Two other debtors, whose health in. this respect jwas unsatisfactory, had a similar prescription written out for theui byithe medical J.P., who laconically dismissed each case • with “ change ot air.” . , , v , >

A QUERY. A doubtful decision was given at the R.M. Court - on Tuesday. Three persons were summoned severally for allowing horses to wander within the town, contrary to the fourth clause of the Taranaki Cattle-impounding Ordinance} 1870. The persons were convicted and mulcted in costs, but were not fined. The. particular clause prescribes a money penalty, and that penalty lias to be imposed, the only option ;being : ft. choice .between 2s 6d and 20s. It is difficult to see how costs can be imposed where the penalty is not inflicted, for the language of the clause is not discretionary, but imperative. It says : If any cattle shall be found wandering within the limits of any town, the owner thereof shall be liable to a fine of not less than 2s Gd nor more than 20s.for every head of cattle so tresspassing. The plain construction appears to be that where the offence is proved' the penalty must follow. The penalty might be remitted,.under a discretionary .power of justices, but must be first imposed.

SHEEP ST A TISTI OS. The Sheep Inspector has issued notices to farmers within this County requiring them, under section 21 of the Sheep Act, to make a return-of the number of sheep in their possession on the 31st May. ; A.ssome misunderstanding exists, wo may point out that sheep sold but notclelivered on that date should be reported as sheep in the possession of the seller, and not as the" property of the buyer.. Transactions on paper do not affect the number of sheep in actual possession on the date named in the Act. If' A. buys 500 sheep on the 30th May, and B. does not deliver them before the 31st expires, which of these ought to be taxed as owner of the sheep ? The buyer cannot report them until they reach his possession. The seller must be held 'responsible as owner until he has actually delivered them. That is the official reading of the Act; and farmers will avoid confusion by reporting simply the number of sheep in their possession on the 31st May, taking no note of transactions on paper, which are in the nature of incomplete bargains until the sheep arc delivered.