The Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1895. OLD AGE PENSIONS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4971, 9 March 1895, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily Times. [Established 1874.] SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1895. OLD AGE PENSIONS.

The Canterbury Liberal Association lias formulated a scheme for old age pensions, This is not a difficult thin? to do when a body of men assume the right to spend other peoplo's money and to distribute it on a popular basis, If pensions were given to persons at GO years of age, it is estimated that lmlf a million of money per annum would be required, and the first condition is, where is such a large sum to come from. The Association proposes to provide it' partly from Incomo Tax, and partly from death duties. These taxes, we have already with us, but the progressive association wishes to increase aud 'multiply them, People pay the Income Tax now, with a fair grace, because it is not a very crushing impost, but, if to meet tho views of progressive associations, it were doubled or trebled, we are disposed to believe that the Government would have considerable difficulty in getting it in. There is no more awkward tax to squeozo out of a reluctant community, than a Colonial Income Tax. The State, if it, once determined to take all the cream off incomes, would find either that.men had no incomes, or if they had them, it would be found that they were taking tliem away toother countries, where revenue would be safe from spoiliaton, The other source of income, which the Association proposes to tap, is the revenue from death duties, The existing tax pn the estates of deceased perspns, runs as high as ten per cent,, but tho Association proposes to double it, and make the revenue run up to 20 per cent. A man therefore, who possessed money, would, under the Association's scheme, be robbed both before and aftev death, but in both cases lie could, and probably )vqu)d protect himself, A perspn : who fqund that the Government was . | likely to collar a fifth of all he left j behind him, would probably to ar. !

range his affaire, that as little as possible would remain for the State to levy en. The proposals of the Association, are really about as stupid and senseless a piece of tomfoolery, as ever came under our notice, and who would get the advantage of them ? All the improvident people in the Colony, who had spent their substance in riotous living would after the age of sixty, be entitled to a pension of twelve shillings a week. A premium would be put on improvidence and extravagance, and a tax on industry and thrift. And this is the wisdom, the deliberate wisdom of a progressive Liberal Association of New Zealand, of an association which complains that the struggle for existence is daily becoming more intense, and which is making it so by wild-cat projects of this kind.