The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1886. INCOME TAXES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2394, 8 September 1886, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1886. INCOME TAXES.

Tgß Cbristohurcb Industrial Association recently explained to the premier (Jilt one of their plank? wak an income tax, and Sir Robert Stout declared that b« was in faror of suoh an impost bafc that the feeling of the Houso whs •gainst it, and while this was the cane ther* was no use in raising tho question. W» fancy thait ,on tbftf" subject Sir Kooert Stout hit formed a theoretical rather, than « practical opinion. In theory m income tax it moit unobjectionable; It put* the addle upon the right horse, culling npon- the man who iitble. to pay U proportion to kta metnt, but in practice, in a country like New ZeoUitd, it would pror* a most iniquitous impost. The merchant or storekeeper, and all who conduct their aflaira on a afcriot business basis, can tell to a fraction the sum of their annual income, and would be fairly assessed under an income tax. But the upcountry landowner, who possibly keeps no books, and never produce! a balauce sheet, would escape all liability under audi a tax. For example, we will assume aimerohant, whom we will designate A, and and a landowner, whom we will ciHß,each make an

income of 8 tliQnsand pounds within a partuftilar year. The merchant's thonBand pounds is revealed in black and whit* in his balance sheet, and ho cannot, well evade paying duty on that amount; but the thousand pounds of B'ii recorded in no statement of accounts, it has disappeared from view, being absorbed in innumerable improvements, which an inexperienced eye could not trace, and whioh even B himself perhaps could not recall. As a matter of faot B has -no tangible income, and bo escapee altogether bis liability towards the taxation of the eolony. We should not be -sorry to Res Sir Robert Stout introduce an income tax, btcauAe.it would practically

beta bonus to country settlers. Unless it were made very inquisitoriiil.and settlora would' not stand thia, country settlers would, as a rule, escape its: operation, find the mercantile and professional community, together' with civil servants and others with fixed deposits, would pay the piper.