TARANAKI WHEEL-TAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 July 1920, Page 2

TARANAKI WHEEL-TAX.

ACTION BY FARMERS' UNION. At meeiiiig of tie Provincial Executive rf tho .Farmers' Unioi, held at Hawo.ia, Xc ".. Maxwell said that apparently legislation had been passed giving certain named county councils the power to impose a vehicle tax. How this was got through he could not say. He thought they should urge that any powers given to local bodies should 'be general. If the principle was to be adopted it should b? general, and the money should go into either a Dominion or provincial fund, to be dispersed pro rata on the rates collected. He thought a provincial fund would be better than a Dominion one. In the latter case the boundaries might be objected to as too arbitrary. They should oppose discrimination and onw local body being given permission to impose a tax arid collect the money to the detrimetn of other local bodies. He moved: "That in connection with the attendance of representatives before the Wheel Tax Commission the executive' 9 delegates be given a free hand, but that as an indication of the executive's views the following recommendations be handed to them: 'That the legislation empowering certain local bodies and not others to impose a special wheel tax be repealed on the ground that if sucl powers be given they should be general, and that if special powers are to be given to local bodies to impose a wheel tax upon all vehicles passing over their roads, irrespective of whether they belong to the district or not, such shall be general to all districts, and all fees collected be paid into a general Dominion or provincial fund and disbursed to all local bodies pro rata according to the rates collected.'" The motion was carried. —Star.