PAYING FOR PROGRESS

Taupo Times, Volume III, Issue 138, 17 September 1954, Page 4

PAYING FOR PROGRESS

It is possibly true that the least enjoyable of the obligations which the citizen of an enlightened and I progressive democracy has to face annually is the payment of local rates and several taxes. The rising tendency of both these levies is a familiar aspect of local and general Government. So much so, that on the very rare occasions when a local

authority decides on an actual reduction in rates, the announcement makes head-line news. Equally arresting is the announcement by the Central Government of a reduction in general taxation. News of this kind is as welcome as the flowers that bloom in the Spring. A correspondent whose letter was published in our columns last week complained that . while his rates in Taupo had jumped from six to sixteen pounds in two years, he could see very little to show for the extra money the local authority had received from him and others over that period. "What have we| got?" he demands to know. Perhaps the Mayor will tell him. It might not be a bad idea. People are apt in moments of disgruntlement to get the picture of local or general democratic. Government in action rather out of focus. We besiege our elected administrators with demands for this, that and the other amenity while overlooking tod often the fact that the

local authority, like the general Government, has no money of its own. If a community wants progress, more civilised amenities, it must be prepared to find the money. The alternative is stagnation. We hear sometimes of fortunate isles or remote communities where rates and taxes are unknown. But, if we may put out corresponddent's question a little differently, "What have we got?" There can be only one answer: a low scale of living as compared with modern standards. It has to be remembered, also, that with the steep rise in costs over the last ten years the provision of public amenities, maintenance and construction work has become correspondingly more expensive. More money is required for a job that cost half as much before the rise, and this is reflected in the rate demands. The question whether we want progress to be maintained, speeded^ up, or slowed down is more easily answered than the question whether the money provided by the ratepayers has been spent wisely, to the best possible advantage, with due regard to economies in time, material and labour. This aspect of local financial administration is worth study, discussion and intelligent, discerning constructive criticism. Furthermore, it is much more to the point.