THE COST OF PLEASURE.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 13, 10 January 1924, Page 3

THE COST OF PLEASURE.

TELLING FIGURES. A judicial humorist in New South Wales, with an evident bent for satire, caustically observed that the three staple industries of Australia were horse racing, pictures and hotels (remark: the Melbourne Age). He would probably extract some confirmation of his ironical catalogue from the contemplation of an interim return relating to the entertainments tax, which has been submitted to the Com monweal th Treasury. The figures show that, on an average, each man, woman and child in Australia patronised a picture show once a month during the year 192122. In other words, there were 67,336,952 admittances, and the tax yielded was £313,260. Obviously, owing to their higher charges, the theatres as distinct from the movie shows—attracted only 10,435,213 patrons, who contributed £126,711 to an insatiable Government by way of taxation. The judge put racing first, but on the tax schedule it comes only third. Punters, of course, escape the entertainment tax on their flutter by not going to the races, and the official figures record 6,613,733 admittances to race meetings, at which £122,972 was collected as taxes. Taxed dancers and skaters, who numbered 5,184,976, contributed £33,619 to the The total revenue extracted from all forms of amusement and entertainment- liable to tax was £674,891. The amount of tax is about 8 per cent of the expenditure; on this basis the Australian people spent nearly £8,500,000 in public amusements get-at-able ” by a remorseless tax collector. The royal commission on taxation (nought the entertainment tax ought to bo abolished, and that it was only v aii anted N v the ravenous demands of war time finance. It is curious that the tax yielded corresponds to within a few'thousands of the amount of the maternitv I allowance, or “bangle bonus,” to mothers.