POLITICAL NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 September 1915, Page 7

POLITICAL NOTES.

(From the Dominion.) THE TOTALISATOR TAX. Explaining his proposals on the Finance Bill on Tuesday night, Sir Joseph Ward said that in the Budget ho had proposed a 2J per cent, tax on totalisator takings. It had been found more practicable to take the amount of individual dividends, and it was now intended to make the folio wing deductions from dividends on a twenty shilling totalisator:—From dividends of £2 10s and under, Is; dividends between £2 10s and £3 10s, Is 6d; between £3 10s and £4 10s, 2s. For every pound or fraction of one pound over £4 10s there fehall be added to the duty of 2a tbe sum ■ of Cd. In the case of a ten shilling totalisator the deductions proposed were as follow: —From a dividend of £1 10s or lees, fid; between £1 10b and £2 10s, Is; and after that the same as in the ease of the larger totalisator. In addition a duty of one per cent, is to be imposed upon all stakes won at all race meetings in New Zealand. The racing clubs concerned are made responsible for the collection of these special taxes. ,

PATRIOTIC AUCTIONS. The Auctioneers Amendment Bill, introduced into the House by the Minister ff Internal Affairs, proposes to relax considerably the Isvr regarding the conducting of auctions, provided that those auctions arc for the purpose of disposing of goods for the benefit of patriotic funds. At present it is not lawful for any person, except a licensed auctioneer to sell any goods by auction for any purpose whatsoever. This very strict rule has not been strictly observed. Auctions have been conducted by unlicensed persons, but there have been no prosecutions. The new Bill,proposes to relax the restrtetions wiffojni doing away witk them eltossttsr. It provides that no person who is not a licensed auctioneer shall sell by auction under ike proposed Act unless he U specially authorised in writing to do so by a Stipendiary Magistrate, or by any Mayor of tbe city or borough, or the chairman of the county or t»*n district in which the sale is to take place, or by the society or trusteed controlling the war fnad to which the proceeds of the sale-are to be paid.

THE EXTRA QPOSTAGE. A request that the surcharge on letters because of the failure of the senders to affix the extra postage should not i» charged for a few days yet was made of the Postmaster-General yesterday, by Mr. G. Witty. The member for Rieesrton suggested thai many people in the bsekblockß toooH not know of the regulation increasing the postal rates. Sr Joseph Ward said he would be verji glad to give consideration to the request bat it was no easy matter to introduce increased charges. If they were to wait until all the people were cammnaksaied wHh, they would have to wait for per-' haps feree weeks. It was absolntely necessary, however, that all our increased taxation should come into..operetion as quickly as possible.

ENEMY COCKTRY, IMfPOKTS, An interesting statement regarding our imports from enemy countries prior-' to the war was made by Sir Joseph Ward, when dealing with the Finaace Bill in Parliament. Prior to 1914, he said, the country of origin of goods was never known in. New Zealand, but after 1914 the country of origin had to be in-' serted. For the seven months prior to the outbreak of war the value of goods imported from Germany was £1,016,000, from Austria £49,000, from Turkey £30,000, and from Asiatic Turkey £39,000. The Customs Department estimated that if the war had not broken out the goods imported from those countries for the year would have amounted to £1,700,000. Dealing with the Customs duties, he said that from the alterations on bicycles, motor-cyeles, motor-cars, go* and oil engines and accessories, it was estimated that they would raise £45,000, on a basis of 10 per eent. British made, 20 per cent, on neutral goods, and 50 per eent. on enemy goods from which they expected nothing. From the increases on spirits, from log to life per gallon, they would get £40,000. M the tax of 50 ,per cent, on the articles he had mentioned was not good enough to keep out those enemy goods we should make it sufficient.

THE APPBOACHDfG END. ' "I think that we may close down the session about the middle of next week," said the Prime Minister in the Bouse. He said that Bills yet to be introduced included a small Land Bill, a Washmg-Up Bill, a Commercial Trusts Bill, which would deal with the matter of the cost of living, and a small Defence Mil. He did not think that this business would take very long. As soon as the Finance Bill was out of the way, he said, he would make a more definite statement as to the position. ALL MUST PAY. In reply to a request put forward in the House by Mr. R. Fletcher that friendly societies which were already feeling severely the burden of the war should be freed from the new postal tax the Postmaster-General, Sir Joseph Ward, said that there was no section of the community he would more readHy favor m this way; but these new charges were war taxes, and no section of the community could escape this tax. TAXING THE BANKS. A reference to the proposed change in the method of assessing taxation on banks was made by Sir Joseph Ward in hi? remarks on the second reading of the Finance Bill. The Minister explained that it was now proposed to make an increase in the tax on banks by way of an assessment on the assets and liabilities. As a result of further inquiries made since the Budget wa3 brought down he was not at all sure that it would be possible to obtain the revenue- expected by continuing the note tax proposal, as the banks might increase their gold circulation accordingly. By fixing the tax upon income assessed upon the total assets and liabilities awr» allowing the note tax to remain as it was, the Government would for a certainty obtain the increased revenue sought. Another proposal which it was claimed would serve the same end, with les s trouble to the banks, had just been submitted to mm by a representative of the bankers, but the matter required careful consideration, and he desired that the proposal in the Bill be given legislative authority in the meantime.