A FREEHOLDER'S COMPLAINT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 294, 7 December 1908, Page 4

A FREEHOLDER'S COMPLAINT

the elections are over, misrepresentation intended to prejudice the (joverunient in. the eves of small fanners is still being practised, in the hope, possibly, thut it' enough mud is thrown some of it stick. The following appears in a llawke's Jiay newspaper as the complaint of a small lreehohler: "A hatch of land-tax demands, with a rise of about -K)0 pel' cent, on last year s demands, came to hand directly after the {'lection was over, and they have caused intense feelings of bitterness against the (lovcrnmciit in the hearts uf the small farmers who own freeholds, who are being crushed under a rapidly .increasing load of taxes from which they practically reap no benefit." How I this could impress the genuine, small freeholder it is hard to imagine, for the members of that class know better. Land-tax demands are based on the valuations of a year ago, unless this was one uf the few'districts in which there was ;i revaluation during the year. II «o. a. w l»cr cent, increase would have constituted a much-talked-of record; but. i-uriously enough. it is the "small freeholder" who first discovers the phenomenon. As the amount of mortgage is excluded from the valuation on whicli the fanner pays land-tax. ami then' is the exemption as well, mu-i struggling farmers pay no land-tax at all. Take the case of a farm the unimproved value of which is IMOHO. If there is a ..C2IIUO mortgage this sum is deducted from the amount on which taxation is payable, but there is also tlie value uf improvements to be d"duclrd separately, and this process results in the taxable value being nil. Thin I he small farmer is being "crushed by a load uf taxation." Wellington I Tillies,