WELLINGTON TOPICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 213, 7 September 1921, Page 3

WELLINGTON TOPICS.

COMPANY TAXATION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WELLIXGTOX, Monday. Mr. T. K. Sidey's return from Aus tralia with particulars of the Commonwealth's system of company taxation has provided a timely reply to Sir Francis Bell's assertion that the transfer of the income tax from the companies to the shareholders is "quite impossible." Apparently what the Acting-Prime ' Minister intended to say was that the j transfer would be inconvenient, and, in I his opinion, inadvisable. It would fee difficult to collect the tax, accerding to this view, and would upset the calculations of people who had invested money with the purpose of securing a settled income. But the member for Dunedin South, by explaining what is being done in Australia, brushes these objections ascide. The cost of collection—which presumably is the difficulty alarming the Minister—is no greater in Australia than it is in Xew Zealand, and an investor's ability to estimate the amount of his income would not be lessened foy paying his income tax himself instead ' of having it deducted from the dividend. The net income of the small shareholder would be increased, and this experience doubtless would reconcile him to the 'change in the incidence. Mr. Sidey has '. brought back with him a large amount . of information on the subject which he 1 hopes to bo able to place before Parlia- ' mciit. : THE BURNTXC QUESTION. An increasing number of people in 'Wellington are measuring the passage ■'of time by the approach of the date ■] fixed for the third "test"' between the I South African and the Xew Zealand footballers. The experts and professing experts are beginning to realise that the i Dominion is in grave danger of losing the football "'ashes," and are flooding the authorities with suggestions for averting that catastrophe to the country's status and pride. Some of them are hinting at the stories which are flyitig about to the effect that the Xew Zealand team in the second "test," owing to avoidable causes, did not nearly represent the full strength of the Dominion's representative fooball. What truth there may foe in the stories no one discusses aloud, but very radical changes have been made in the supervision of tihe team, and if there were certain lachee at Auckland they are not likely to recur at Wellington. The general" opinioe ! among players here is that there will be a great game on Saturday week, and ( that a little luck max turn -victory I either way. *•