LIVING THEATRE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1939, Page 11

LIVING THEATRE

RELIEF FROM TAXATION BURDEN DESIRED. A memorial signed by 400 Members of the British Parliament of all parties which asks for the relief of the “living theatre” from the burden of entertainments tax has been presented to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir John Simon, by Colonel J. Sandeman Allen and Mr A. Denville. Similar action has been taken by private members before the introduction of the Budget in previous years. The memorial will be presented the more hopefully this year, says the Times, because of some observations made by Sir John Simon in the debates on the last Finance Bill. In reply to arguments in favour of exempting the “living theatre” from entertainments duty the Chancellor of the Exchequer confessed that he shared a great deal of the feeling against this particular form of tax. He promised to make a careful study of the working of the entertainments tax before presenting this year’s Budget, and said that “in this ancient home of culture, art and literature, this tax ought not to be allowed automatically to continue without very serious examination.” Members concerned in organising the memorial believe that the removal of the tax would save about 250 theatres which appear to be threatened with extinction,