FARMERS' INCOMES.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 March 1917, Page 7

FARMERS' INCOMES.

To the Editor. • Sir, —I beg space in your valuable paper for a few lines in reply to Mr. Hine's letter of March 15 in the Daily Xews re 'Mr. Bakewell's maeting at Inglewood. In reference to the part in his letter commenting on the expression of "fools" made use of by one speaker, Mr. Hine's statement that the speaker said "it was only fools that were caught by the income tax" is contrary to fact. This was the position: Mr. Bakewell made mention of a dairy farmer who, he said, milked 30 cows, and whose return for the season was in the neighborhood of £4OO, but ;\vho in filling in his in-come-tex papers gave the Commissioner the impression that this £4OO was excess profit, and consequently the Commissioner billed him for a £l5O tax, whereas the former maintained that he was not liable for any tax at all. The. speaker's remark was that he was a fool for not employing a qualified accountant instead of attempting the impossible himself. I was at the meeting. I henrd the words mentioned, and I know who spoke the words complained of by Mr. Hine, so you see what a different complexion our Tikorangi sage gives the word. The same person who used the offensive word "fool" said that previous to this he did not think tlio farmer had much to complain of, as he understood there was exemption up to £I7OO on investments in land, including cost of working the same, so that Mr liine must have been either misinformed or has misread or misconstrued the position. But I must congratulate the Tikorangi farmers on having such a high authority on.law in their midst and iui authority on the law of sedition, luit after lighting a cigarette and musing through the fumes of the tobacco, the .conclusion 1 arrived at was that if James lline gave more time to study the law of common-sense he would have no occasion to write his letter at all. There is a saying that it is a bad wi 1 " 1 that . doesn't Mow good for somebody, nn u it seems to me that James Hine's lettei is likely to do some good aftei all. James lline states in his letter that he knows iariners whose profits run into four figures, which might mean anv amount from £IOOO to .-£1)090 10s ll%d, and who did not supply any returns! This statement must be correct, beeause Mr. Hine is secretary of the Tikorangi Dairy Company, and know; exactly how much every supplier receives fioin the factory, so there is no second-hand yarn about this. But I cannot help thinkiii" that Mr. Hine failed in his duty to the Mate through not supplying the names of any defaulters to the Commissioner Of I axes, which would enable him to collect those taxes, whicl is likely to come to a big amount. But now, even at the eleventh hour, I wou ld in the most friendly manner advise James to supply this information to thf Commissioner of Taxes in justice to the State and las brother taxpayer. Believing Mr, lime to bi an honest, honorable and patriotic man, I hope he won't fail to do Ills duty.—l am, etc., T . „ , DIGGING ' Laniwtnn, UjuvJi 4£L