MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1915 FARMERS' INCOME TAX RETURNS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 117, 6 December 1915, Page 2

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1915 FARMERS' INCOME TAX RETURNS.

Protests are everywhere rife against the complicated and involved nature of returns demanded by the Taxation Department in connection with ths farmers' , income tax. Whether or not farmers should keep books is an open question; there is no law compelling a man to do so, and unless be has to face the Bankruptcy Court the fact of his right to please himself in the matter cannot be questioned. If. has been argued by men who should know what tbey arc talking about that there are few farmers who are not in a position to say with the greatest definiteness what they had made during the past year or during any year. We take lehve to doubt the correctness of the assumption. All farmers know, no doubt, what was the state of their bank credit or debit at the beginning of the year, but dues this show their financial position? Does it show whetber or not they had made a profit dnring the year? We take leave to assert that it does not, and we fail to see, utterly fail to see, how from such slender data as provided by the bank pass book a man can supply the wealth of detail asked for by the Department. The art of bookkeeping is, no doubt, admirable, but is it reasonable to expect every farmer m the country to keep his accounts by double entry, to draw up a profit ar.d loss account at the end of the year, and generally to prepare a statement that would meet with the approval of the chartered accountant? We think not. Farmets have little leisure; when their day's toil is finished they have little desire to sit down at a desk and tabulate their accounts, and besides few have sufficient skill to do this work m the orthodox manner. Of course, the legislation is on the Statute Book, and it must be obeyed, so it behoves farmers to do their best, although it must be candidly admitted that a large percentage will find the greatest difficulty in providing a solution for the problem with which they are faced. Farmers must do their best, but even Bt this early period it is perfectly plain that there must be a good deal of give and take as between the Department and the farmers, and that the former must be prepared largely to accept figures and facts which cannot ne documentary supported. In the absence of books, farmers must be permitted very largely to estimate their receipts and expenditure during the past year, and if sufficient latitude is given in this resoect ana if there is an absence of the red tape methods which usually mark dealings of the Government Departments with the public there appears to be no reason to believe but that any difficulty that may appear to eixst at present will be surmounted.