RE INCOME TAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1920, Page 3

RE INCOME TAX.

(To the Editor.) Sir, Referring to the statement of the chairman of the Associated Chambers of Commerce that income tax collected from the commercial community was passed on to the liublic, and to which exception was taken at a meeting of the Tarai.uk! Chamber 'of Commerce, 1 think that the view held by the {renewal public coincides with that expressed by Mr. Uankart. Is it not a faet that the slight increase in the hewing rate granid to the coal miners some time ago was jlassed on to the public far more than doubled? Again, re sugar (under control), can you explain wfcy brown sugar should be retailed at the same price as white, which was then unprocurable? Surely an admittedly inferior article should be retailed at a lower price. lhe investigations or the Board of Trade have Shown that the general principle of business men Is to reckon ou a certain percentage of profit on the cost of an article. How, then, can it he that the tax cannot be passed on t the percentage is fixed? Do not the distributors of most commodities control the price to tte public of those commodities, so that any tax put on the distributors Is added thd P i?h' r on „ to 1110 lmbllc > and b >' 80 dotm: i « a - « Ut ° rS) CVIUie the tai un(i Btl| l mailt,lin their fixed percentage of profit? Of course, the above Opinions are only those of a man in the street, and the facts as expainiid by a business man would, I am am et* accol,t " ble to til<! puhile.-I W. BAXTER, ! Plymouth, 4th October.