MOTOR TAXATION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 June 1938, Page 7

MOTOR TAXATION

ALLOCATION TO BOROUGHS. “AN UNJUST DISTRIBUTION.” “I am sorry that we are not able to say that we have obtained justice in the matter of allocation of petrol tax,” said the Mayor, Mr T. Jordan, this morning, referring to borough finances. “We have reached this stage,” Mr Jordan continued, “that the Commissioner of Transport has admitted that the boroughs have made out a good case for the readjustment of the allocation, but this is as far as we have been able to get him to go. I have spoken to the Minister of Transport and to the Minister of Finance and all that I have been able to obtain from them is that special legislation is being considered." "The total road bill for New Zealand for the year ending March 31, 1936," said Mr Jordan, "was £8,077.975. Of this sum £1,891.672 was spent on urban roads and streets —in other words 23.4 per cent of the total. Omitting heavy traffic fees the percentage of motor taxation allocated to boroughs with a population of 6000 and over was 5.8, yet if heavy traffic fees are included the percentage goes up to 9. My contention is that the allocation of motor taxation should be in some definite relation to the actual expenditure on roads and streets and on these figures the present allocation is obviously unjust and has always been unjust since its inception. The total burden of taxation on the borough ratepayers in 1935-36 was £12.311 per £lOOO of rateable capital value and on the county ratepayers the burden in 1935-36 was £4.67 per £lOOO of rateable capital value."