Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1065, 1 September 1930, Page 8

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.) POLL-TAX A “MEDIAEVAL EXACTION” CAREFUL DRIVING AND PETROL- FRANCE HAS BEST TA PE OF STATE LOTTERY AMUSEMENT TAX HAS BEEN WRONGLY DESCRIBED.

“GROANING IN HEAVEN’’ Sir,— Should the so-called poll-tax become law those responsible for its enactment will have to face a reckoning. To see workers, whose earnings only provide for them a bread-and-water existence, hit in this mediaeval fashion would make the great Liberal and Labour statesmen of the past groan in heaven. The collection of the tax would cause no end of resentment from those who find it a hard struggle to make their earnings maintain family life decently. There are ample sources in the Dominion well able to bear, without hardship, additional taxation. Economy and taxation should fall where they can be borne with the least hardship. But this principle appears to be strangely disregarded by the present administration. Three or four years ago, the chairman of the Bank of New Zealand said that there were very few' poor farmers in the Dominion, and we have had good seasons since then. OLD LIBERAL. CLEVER DRIVING Sir, — A report in your paper recently described ii petrol economy test held by a motor-cycle club in Auckland in which one machine put up a performance equivalent to 230 miles to a gallon of benzine, although the average for engines of that size is only 104 m.p.g. The winning machine was standard in every particular so that the gain of more than 118 per cent, must have been achieved through careful driving and mechanical adjustments only. This suggests to me that the average motor-cyclist and, presumably, the average motorist also through scant attention to the finer points, is paying twice as much for every mile travelled as need be. C A RB U RET T E R.

STATE LOTTERIES Sir.— heading of “Revenue Machine, in Saturday’s issue of The Sun, Dice finishes his letter with the words: “Go to it, some of you politicians.” Maybe “Dice” does not know that Mr. Broadfoot, M.P., has set the ball rolling by giving notice of an amendment to the New Zealand Gaming Act which, if put through by the House, will result in our having a State lottery. Evidently the question is being discussed in the lobbies, for I have received letters from Wellington asking for full particulars regarding the system so largely in use in Era nee, which, besides having the attraction of prizes, has also the added benefit of security for the investors’ capital. The Sun published a long article some time back explaining this system. It is to be hoped that the question will now be thoroughly discussed on the floor of the House, when those who are opposed to gambling will see that this is the remedy for the evils of gambling, attracting the gaming instinct inherent in everyone without the danger of monetary loss. As “Dice” says: “A little loosening-up process is all that is

needed.” By adopting this system, safety of capital is assured. A little annual interest on outlay, the chance of a. prize, and one has a revenue-pro-ducer, at no cost, to the taxpayers. Instead of New Zealand money going to Tasmania and Queensland, large sums would flow over here from all over the world and our own people would be encouraged to be more thrifty by saving shilling by shilling to invest in a New Zealand Government bond with big attractions. WILLIAM NOTON. UNFAIR TAXATION Sir.— Sooner or later the public will wake up to the fact that more than one wartime tax (as a wartime tax more or less justifiable) has not only been continued, but extended as regards amount and classification. Probably the greatest _ and most outrageous example of this is the amusement-tax. at which an attempt was made not only to increase it, but to extend it to the lowest-priced admission ticket. There is only one vaudeville house exempt from tax. i.e., admission to the public gallery of the Parliamentary Vaudeville Company is free, and no tax is payable. The tax in the first place is wrongly described. It is nothing more or less than a sales-tax. The individual and companies responsible for the providing of entertainment sell entertainment. There is no legitimate reason why the man or company selling talking picture entertainments should be singled out for a sales-tax more than the man or company selling ice cream or silk stockings, more particularly when a survey is made of the situation as it is today. It may be contended that the firms selling entertainment do not pay the tax—it is added as an extra to the price of admission: that they only collect it. free of cost, for the Government, and hand it over. The same can be said of any tax. customs duty or otherwise.

Probably there is no class of citizens which has had a worse time during the past three years or more than that which includes our musicians. No organisation suffered greater depression than those whose aim and object is not so much profit-making as that of keeping alive the art of music. Whatever justification there may be for taxing admission to a wrestling match, football match, or prize fight, there is none (and it is an outrage which, in everyday language, would be termed “daylight robbery”) to tax musical associations’ concerts, school entertainments, high-class recitals such, as that given by Backhaus, which are just as much educational as enjoyable. In any case, it is, without a doubt, a class tax. It singles out one particular class of sellers for special taxation. I note with pleasure that both Labour and Reform opposed the extension of this tax to the Is and Is Ud tickets, and that the Prime Minister admitted lie had reluctantly proposed it. All the same, if it had not been for the Opposition, he would have compelled the sellers of entertainment to collect it and band it over. If the Government must raise money.

and will not consider reduction of the expenses of government; if we must have a sales-tax, or, as tke Government calls it, an amusement-tax, why not enforce it on all classes of amusement? If it were so extended, it could be reduced considerably. Educational entertainment could be exempted, likewise such associations as the Philharmonic, Bohemian, etc. Books. There are thousands of books and magazines sold that are for amusement or entertainment. It would be just as fair, just as reasonable, just as easy, to say to the booksellers: “Charge sixpence on each 5s novel sold; report to us each week how many you have sold, and pay up.” We could make it prelerential—say fourpence on English and sixpence on American books. The person who purchased the book. “A” Quiet on the Western Front,” carries his entertainment home and pays nothing, but he who spends the same amount to see the picture pays a tax. which the seller has to collect free of charge and hand over. The amuse-ment-tax is a sales-tax. The Government can argue all it likes about it. It is a most unfair, unjust tax. because it is limited to one section of the community. In many cases it is more than unfair —it is an outrageous charge on high-grade education. The Government, however, is not responsible for the continuance of the tax. Those who collect it, and those who pay it, are the responsible parties. I sincerely hope that one result of Music Week will be that the various associations will get together and keep up a persistent appeal to all parties in the House for the repeal of ta * in their case, and that will be followed by the formation of an “All or None Association” for a tax on all forms of amusement sales—books, magazines, golf balls, fishing tackle, etc. Why should the man who pays £lO. ~ or £2O a year for the privilege of. amusing himself (and often others! at the game of golf, pay no amusement - tax when the man who gets his amusement at a picture show, wrestling match, or football match has to P*. a tax? . Let us get together and prove that there is still a kick left in democratic government. Let us for once that the people are the masters; that the Hon. the Prime Minister. Cabinet, and members of Parliament are tn servants of the people. Let us ge together, and tell those who occult the seats of the mighty: “All or cut this tax out, or extend it; you call it what you like, but we knot' jp is a sales-tax.” And. just as amn suggestion, tell them, if they are ® of money, that they could and shod* save a few pounds—a considera^^ number, quite a large sum. as a w ai ter of fact—bv cutting out that n°neducational. unnecessary publication known as “Hansard.” and record the minutes of the meeting in the u ?u manner. Lot anyone who wants ~ copy pay for the typing of it. » frankly admit I enjoy the reading - Hansard, but it costs the country A. J HUTCHINSON.