A PROPERRTY TAX THE FAIREST TAX.

Press, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4640, 15 June 1880, Page 3

A PROPERTY TAX THE FAIREST TAX.

TO THB EDITOB OP THB PBB3S. Siß, —I am a tailor bat you will nob on that acooant ooneider that my meddling with politics is inconsistent. Many members of the craft have been eminent men, who hare filled high stations. President Johnitone, of the United States, is an example. You will allow mc to jumble together a few remarks on the Property Tex. A man who lives near mc and myielf are apparently in similar circumstance a with regard to the size of our dwellings, the use and consumption of articles of clothing, tea, and other things on which more or leas Customs duty is charged, with the exception that the man aforesaid (with the assistance of his family) consumes a considerable quantity of spirituous liquors, beer, and tobacco. Ido not use tobacco, ard being, somewhat of a milksop, cannot drink anything stronger than tea and coffee. Now, I believe the man aforesaid consumes at least half a gallon of spirituous liquors weekly, and a considerable amount of tobacco (including that used by the family). If you measure the number of glasses in what is called a quart bottle, you will find about half a bottle a day is not a large allowance which, including Sundays, would be more than half a gallon a week. We may venture to say that the man aforesaid pays, apparently of his own free will, we will say fully 5s a week taxes on his spirits and tobacco, that is to say £13 a year. Now, in addition, comes the beer tax. I think you will say that three pints a day is not a large allowance for a family for dinner, &0., but we will say two gallons a wsek, the duty on which is Iβ, or £2 12e a year, making a total tax of £15 12s a year on spirits, tobacco, and beer, in addition to what your correspondent's abstemious family has to pay. The man aforesaid is a " Liberal Kβformer/' and has been calling out lustily against the property tax. It seems to mc that if every man had to pay a tax in proportion to his property or inoome it would be better than throwing the burden of taxation chiefly on those"who make use of certain articles. " The gentleman what wante to be elected Governor" says that no British community would submit to such a property tax, but I could easily prove to him that certainly millions ef British subjects submit to such a tax in preference, knowing that everyone must pay his share. The said gentleman may know a good deal about the Southern hemisphere, but evidently not much about the Northern. I see that some of the " Liberal Reformers " of Timaru want to revert to the odious system of taxing housee £1 eaoh per annum, whether they are big or little, of great or little value. I am quite confident that the Parliament will never disgrace iteelf by enacting suoh a tax ; suoh a thing could only be done by Provincial Councils, which happily are gone by. If New Zealand wonld follow the example of the " Dominion," and abolish the law of primogeniture, and divide property amongst children, irrespective of age or sex, it would do more to equalise property than anything else. Yours, &0., Sabohtatos.