BONUSES FOR FAMILIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 June 1921, Page 5

BONUSES FOR FAMILIES.

LABOR PARTY’S SCHEME. GRANT OF 6s A WEEK. Sydney, May 24. It was perhaps a little unfortunate that details of the New South Wales Labor Government’s motherhood endowment scheme should have been made public on almost the same day as the majority of taxpayers in the State received their income tax assessments. People took far more interest in the financial character of the scheme than would otherwise have been the case, and their interest was, almost wholly of a hostile nature. People in this country pay two income taxes—one to the Federal Government and one to the State—and the State tax this year is startling, for it includes a new super-tax of 6d in the £ on incomes over a certain amount. For instance, a man receiving £6OO a year, who last month paid £l5 to the Federal Government, is this month assessed over £lB for State income tax. The loud outcry that has arisen against the motherhood endowment scheme is due to the fact that it is estimated to cost some £1,600,000 a year, and no one has attempted to show where most of the money is coming from. No one appears to object much to the proposal to pay a sort of pension to parents, but if the general body of taxpayers are to have their already intolerable burdens increased to pay the heads of families a pension, it will simply mean taking money from one pocket and putting it in the other. Under the scheme all widows are to get 10s a week, and a payment of 6s a week is to be made in respect of all children under the age of 14, except that the first two children in each family are not to count. No parent receiving more than £6 a week can claim payments for children. No parent receiving less than £6 a week may accept payments which will bring his total income in excess of £6 Is per week. Say that John Smith has four children and an income of £5 10s a week. He may claim on behalf of the two younger children 12s a week. But that will bring his total income to £6 2s, and as his income, thus increased, must not exceed £6 Is, he can accept only Us a week from the Government. If he has six or ten children it does not matter—he can draw only Ils. It is proposed to run a huge State lottery, somewhat on the lines of Tattersails, and this, it is estimated, will provide a year The State now pays £090,000 a year through the State childrens relief and other similar departments The new scheme is to take the place of these