Page 2 Advertisements Column 3

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 128, 28 June 1909, Page 2

I'JXAXCIi AND BMI'IKE. In the fortnightly Review, Mr. J. Ellis Barker becomes pessimistic as' to Lire financial outlook in Great Britain. He thinks the United Kingdom is coming to the end of its tethe;-. !' ■ endeavors to show that it is b_. urine most highly taxed country in the world, that it is not the richest country, and that its wealth stagnant, if not declininc. the corollary is that it will be extreme, ly dangerous for the workers' of the nation to increase still further the taxation of the rich. Such taxes fall not oil the wealthy few, but on the industries ill which their money i* invested, JJontli duties ;l rc an impost on workiii* capital, and income tax is a iierinanenc Charge on production, and therefore on wages. 11l the last resort ail taxation tails nil the masses of the people. According to the German Minister of Finance, the taxation per head in Gre-it Britain iff almost exactly twice what.it is in Germany. Kaufnianii, who has carefully studied local taxation declares that for every CI paid undo this lead by the German the Englishman ■as to pay C2 10s. In England taxation on drink and tobacco is five times as high as it is in German v. Mr. El'is Barker severely handles most of the prosperity' arguments'. British national expenditure has increased bv 'iO lier cent, i" the last 15 years, and' Mr. Whs Barker predicts that in another tour or nvp years it must oxcml £9OO- - his panacea's fo,tills aie ,1 Unionist Government, preferential trade, an Imperial Parliament for the Empire and the shouldering of the burden of defence by the colonies.