ALL TO BE TAXED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 114, 17 May 1938, Page 12

ALL TO BE TAXED.

PENSIONS SCHEME. GOVERNMENT INTENTIONS. MEMBERS OF PRIVATE FUNDS. (From Our Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. Some further information regarding the Government's social security scheme was given by the Minister of Finance, tin- Hon. 'W. Xash, in his address at Lower Jlutt last night.

'J he w-lii'iiK , , -Mr. Xash, recognised the responsibility of all the people to provide security to all who rendered social γ-imn ice, in old age, sickness and other disabilities. A sum of £3,000,000 had lwen allocated to nice* the initial cost of the general practitioner service. Jle had had many conferences with representatives of the medical profession, and had found much to admire in them. He hoped that when the scheme was launched the doctors would cooperate to the full.

The procedure with regard to sickness benefits had Hot yet been fully determined, but X 1.000,000 had been set apart for the purpose. Disability was something difliciilt to define, but its etl'ert wan to prevent the individual from ploying hir, part in the economic life of ■tin! community. The Government was trying to lind a way of providing againet it, and had allocated £500,000.

.Mr. Xash stated that there were in the community a number of spinsters who on account of health or for other reasons were unable to fend for themselves. The Government had some provisions in mind for aiding them.

Tlie total annual cost of the scheme was estimated at £1f>,000,000, and the cost of benefite other than superannuation was placed at £9,203,000. The social security tax of 1/ in the pound on income would be levied upon all, but everybody's widow and child would benefit and everybody would be entitled to receive the general practitioner service.

Why Objections? "The tax is 4<l in the pound more than (he present employment tax." continued Mr. Naeh. "There has been some criticism, but I have not yet met the man or woman in normal "employment who objected to paying 1/ in the pound to help the unemployed. If they were willing then, why should there be the shadow of an objection to paying now when there are all these safeguarding provisions, which include something fo" all emergencies '!"

The cost of the superannuation provisions was placed at £0.200,000, of which the Consolidated Fund would provide £.3,900.000. If a person qualified by age for the superannuation allowance under the scheme was receiving some income from a superannuation fund to which ho had contributed, he would not on that account be debarred from benefiting. The cose of married couples, one of whom was over and the other under the ago of f>o, presented some difficulties. They could not be given the full double pension, but some provision would be made that would enable them to keep their home together.