THE BATTLE OF THE BUDGET

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 173, 14 August 1909, Page 2

THE BATTLE OF THE BUDGET

FREE USE OH THE CLOSURE. By CaWe,—Press Association.—Copyright' London, August 12. An all-night sitting of the House of Commons was hcM. They exempted London squares from the undeveloped .land tax, and increased the size of gardens to five acres, despite Radical opposition. The voting was loii to 29. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Exchequer, closured sixty amendments in a single hatch, including three of his own concessions.

opposition criticism, machinery i'oll social schemes. Loudon, August 12. in the House of Commons, Mr, Austen Chamberlain added: "The tax on ungotten minerals, which has now been [ abandoned, was the gem of Mr. Lloyd- i 1 George's collection, and he defended ic i on the ground tint it would be. necessary to enforce development. According to the present plan, an owner not working his minerals was safe, but when lie began to work, then the tax collector paid a visit, 'i'lic Government was going to tax all the coal and the iron ore in the country, and the raw materials of our great industries; it was also going to tax granite quarried here, while probably it would be sending to Norway for granite on which no tax would be paid." Other speakers emphasised the disproportionate cost of collecting taxes to thft probable yield. Mr. 11. Cox, Liberal member for Preston, favored the Budget as a whole, but hoped that when Ministerialists spoke in the provinces in support of these land , taxes they would explain that they had other objects than the raising of money '. to meet a deficit of sixteen millions. ', Mr. Balfour, Leader of the Opposition, [ declared it was quito plain they were not dealing with finance in this part of '. the bill, but with the provision of mat ehinery for social schemes of the more , extreme sections of the Government supj porters. r Mr. Asquith, Premier, replied that . these taxes would prove more and more > productive hereafter to assist futuro 5 Governments in meeting expenditure '. for which the country must be prepared.

TAXATION OF MINERALS. PROPERTY TAXES TO BE BORN BY LANDLORDS. Received 13, 11 p.m. London, August 13. ' In the House of Commons Jlr. Ralfour vainly enquired the reasons of tlie fiovernment'a change of front in regard to the land Uses, particular'* - the siustitu*ion of a duty on mineral rents for a tax on ungotten mineim*. Sonic of the Liberals objected to tlio abandonment of the latter tax being discussed when the reasons for the change could be better discussed when the resolutions were proposed to enable the new clause to be moved.

Jlr. J. C. Wedgwood insisted that the new proposal would 'penalise the welting of minerals. The closure was applied and clause 12, relating to uugotteu minerals, was omi'.ted by 172 to 15. Clause 13, enacting the recovery of undeveloped land duty contract to the contrary, led to a strenuous protest from "Mr. E. ParkeS on the ground that the clause would overrule existing contracts and tenants would be able to" obtain long leases. This, lie urged, would be against the i.v lercsta of the thousands of small people wishing to hold land. •

The Solicitor-General declared' that the Government's view was that every property tax ought to be borne by the landlord.