Motor Taxation A Growing Bogey

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 186, 27 October 1927, Page 11

Motor Taxation A Growing Bogey

ALLOCATING FUNDS HAMILTON CRITICISM (From Our Own Correspondent) HAMILTON, To-day. Motor taxation is a bogey steadily growing, according to the opinion expressed by the Hamilton Borough Council, and the road maintenance costs in that connection are spreading like a cancerous growth with, perhaps, equal maligmty. Trenchant criticism of the apparently lethargic attitude of the Government, to the question was offered at the council meeting last night and unfavourable consequences presaged as the outcome of what was alleged to be Government unconcern. For some time past Hamilton Borough Council has pressed its viewpoint of the question, but its representations have, to all intents and purposes, been practically ignored. It is renewing its protests and declines to shoulder the responsibility for the position any longer, alleging that the distribution of the funds by the Main Highways Board is inequitable to boroughs. “We asked for bread and they gave us a stone,” remarked the Mayor, Mr. J. R. Fovv, when the Government’s apparent inability to deal with the question was being commented on. “We cannot make too strong a protest,” he added. “The arguments set down are very conclusive and should have carried a great deal of weight. Hamilton Borough Council is only one of many others in the same position. With intensive, and almost continuous traffic, we are faced with a crushing difficulty. We have spent a great deal of loan money on streets. Speedier and heavier traffic has followed and the proportion of the licence fees wo collect is absolutely negligible. I feel it keenly, but we can only renew our protests against the treatment the boroughs are getting in this connection.” Additional revenue of between £500,000 and £600,000 would accrue from taxation, said Cr. Luxford, and the whole would go to the funds of the Main Highways Board to be expended outside the boroughs for the benefit of only one section of the community. It was almost absurd, and absolutely unjust, that the subsidies should be granted outside boroughs only and there was no reason why provincial boroughs should not receive some assistance from the Main Highways Board. “The position is going to be more acute.” stated C.r. Lafferty. Bitter complaints were made about loans, and if taxation had to be paid Jl would be an undue levy on the towns to add more to the fund not expended for the benefit of ratepayers in that particular district. “This is just another little piece of bungling maladministration of fhe Government,” commented Cr. Denz. “There is going to be a great deal more harm done to the country than the Government, perhaps, realises.”