FARMERS' WIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, 30 May 1919, Page 6

FARMERS' WIVES.

AND THE INCOME TAX. " (From Our Own Correspondent} Wellington, May 27. A. suggestion that the Government' should allow fanners to deduct wages, earned by members of their families, when compiling their income tax returns was discussed by the Wellington Farmers' Union Conference to-day. The point aroused a great deal of interest. Several delegates stated they had been informed that the farmer could deduct' wages actually paid at the time the service was rendered. But he could not make a lump sum deduction at the end of the year. A farmer from the Wairarapa urged that the wife ought to own half the farm in all cases and have half the profit in her own right. Several ,men said that if the/ were allowed to 'deduct the money earned by members of their family, they would have no income tax to pay at all. The inference was that the members of the family were not at present being paid what they earned. The president of the conference (Mr G. L. Marshall) said the position was that a farmer could deduct wages actually paid to his children, but he could ■not deduct any payment made to his wife. An extension of the deduction to cover the earnings of the wife would present great difficulties. Tax-payers; I all over the country would be wanting to assign wages,to their wives and so reduce their own income tax. People might begin to add the wage of the wife' when assessing the cost of living. A suggestion that the conference should asic the Commissioner of Taxes for a ruling was negatived emphatically by the conference. The feeling of the majority of delegates seemed to be that . they had better let well alone.