LOSING REVENUE.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 August 1917, Page 5

LOSING REVENUE.

WHERE IT CAN BE RAISED. ('Parliamentary Reporter). Wellington, August 14. In the course of his speech to-night Mr. Wilkinson (Egmont) said the present customs duty on motor cars was not nearly sufficient. He was in favor of a tax! on motor tyres, but he would not be in favor of handing over the money from this tax to local bodies ui:iess those local bodies maintained good roads. With regard to the cigarette duty, he said that before the late impost the retailer made a profit of 25 per cent. If he still Bold at the same price he would get 17'/L> per cent, but if he was allowed to charge 7d a packet the retailer wold get a profit of 35 per cent. This was i<ot fair. He thought the country was losing a lot of revenue by neglecting to charge enough for hotel licenses. These should be increased on a graduated scale, and collected not by the the local bodies, but by the State. The brewers' license was alao ridiculously low. He thought .some ecouomy should be instituted. The Treasurer'" estimate was for a surplus of £1,200,000, but unless we got from this extra taxation a bigger surplus than this we would not be able to take off the war taxes after the war. More must be done in the way of reducing expenditure. He would like to ask the Government what had been done in regard to the classification of industries made by the National Efficiency Board, and approved by the Government. Were the Military Service Boards instructed regarding most essential industries? Mr. Myers: Yes, they have been. Mr. Wilkinson said that unless care was taken in regard to the conscription of labor from these industries, damage would be done to the country, and our rural industries would be crippled. He was not one of those who had cold feet about the war. He believed that we should win it in the future. He was not in favor of the conscription of youths of 19 years.