AMUSEMENT TAX.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 February 1922, Page 6

AMUSEMENT TAX.

EFFECT ON A. & P. SHOWS. A PROTEST FROM TARANAKI. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. A strong protest against the imposition of an amusement tax on revenue received by agricultural societies was entered by the general committee of the Taranaki A. and P. .Society yesterday. The matter was introduced by a letter received from the Egmont A. and P. Society protesting against the tax and asking support from the Taranaki Society. The tax, it was stated, affected the show recently held at Hawera, 1/9- being collected from members’ £1 tickets and one penny in the shilling from gate entrance fees. The Egmont Society asked that the other societies in Taranaki give their support to a remit to be forwarded to the annual conference of A. and P. associations. While suggesting that the fairness of imposing a tax on gate entrance fees might be debatable several members spoke very strongly on what they deemed a most inequitable tax on members’ tickets. It was pointed out that frequently holders of members’ tickets did not attend shows, but that the membership fee was really a donation to assist already struggling societies. Moreover, the term amusement was not applicable to membership of agricultural societies, as the functions of such were purely educational and beneficial to the country as a whole. Mr. R. H. Piggott was of opinion that if members’ tickets were to be taxed at all the tax should be on a basis similar to the gate charges, as the major portion of the membership fee amounted to a donation to the society. He thought a subsidy to A. and P. societies from the Government would be more appropriate than a tax, in view of their value to the country, and that amusement was no object in the activities of the society. Mr. S. Vickers said the tax was a direct toll- on the society’s income, as donations for maintenance were affected. Several members wished to know what the Taranaki members of Parliament were doing to allow the measure imposing the tax to pass through the House. Mr. Grant (president of the Taranaki Society) explained that some of the Taranaki members were absent from the House on meat pool business when the legislation was passed. If the tax were allowec| to beco.ne effective members would not pdy their subscriptions to be confiscated in part by the Government, and agricultural societies'would be forced out of existence.

After a lengthy discussion, in which the dominant opinion was that the Egmont Society’s action was not sufficiently drastic, it was decided that it would be useless to wait for the annual conference, and that a deputation should be immediately sent to the Minister for Agriculture asking that the tax be completely lifted from A. and I’, societies. The secretary was instructed to notify the Egmont Society of the Taranaki Society’s attitude, and to urge it and other societies to join in the deputation to the Minister. Mr. W. B. Grant was appointed Taranaki’s delegate, and it was decided to write to members of Parliament eliciting their support. A voice: Ask the Minister for a subsidy to the society.