WAR TAXATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 June 1916, Page 6

WAR TAXATION.

fIOVV THE TARAXAKI FARMERS VIEW IT. At Thursday's meeting of tlie Taranaki Provincial Farmers' Union, the following remit was tabled by the Executive:— "That this conference is of opinion that, in order to distribute the war tax fairly, a percentage increase on the sources of taxation obtaining previous to the war would meet the case."

Mr. F. jr. Jtills said that the taxation •before the war was the result of the deliberation of Governments of ytars anil years. Surely if the taxation then was right, tlie correct method, if extra taxation was required must be to increase the taxation on' the same lines as then in vogue. This would be the most economical. Mr. Ti. Lambie considered that the arguments were unanswerable. Hp said if this had been adopted it would have saved the annoyance caused by the issue of the new forms last year. Of course, he understood that the idea \va< to "get at'' the war profits. Thi>. however, was a fallacy, as lie felt convinced thai the farmer would have beer bettci off if there had been 110 war. Farmers did not objec! ' taxation. There was talk of eij, oi sacrifice, but he did not think uuil farmers got a square deal. If there was to be lioth an income tax and a land tax there would not be such large incomes to tax. Many farmers' sons had gone to the war to fight for the Empire, and. if it were not for the introduction of milking machines. a lot of the land would go out of production. Farmers could do as much to assist in defeating the enemy by keeping up production.

Mr. Maxwell said this was not an attempt. by farmers to get out 01* paying income tax. because it was passed before tile income tax was introduced. There was no argument to advance why tlio system should have been altered because extr» taxtion was required. Speaking for the farmers as a ahole thev (lid not want to sbirk any responsibility. Tbev would willingly give every sixpence they bad to remain British subjects, There was, however, the future to look to. Farmers* wanted to see the finances placed oil a sound basis. This taxation was a special expedient which would only last until the end of the war. and how, then, would the money required to meet the liabilities in the way of'extva interest charges and .State pensions be raised without some further alteration in the system? Before the war there was the ordinary percentage of ine.fficients to lie looked after, but after the war there would bp a larger proportion of inefficient* with a lesser percentage of able-bodied men. The income tax fell very unjustly 011 some farmers. Farming nowadays had been likened to a gold mine, hut the unfortunate part was that farmers were not accountants, and he felt assured that the small farmer had paid' tons of thousands of pounds in income tax that they probably need not have paid if they had kept books. He pointed out that though as an individual hp regretted what had taken place at flawera, the eneese peopl" bad given a very large sum last year for which they got no credit. They were not looking f or credit, but on the other hand they resented the fact that they t vere receiving discredit as being very grasping The resolution was carried.