THE GRADUATED TAX.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12933, 12 October 1907, Page 10

THE GRADUATED TAX.

MORE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL VIEWS. • — l< (special to "the press.") r WELLINGTON, October 11. l e Tho continuation of the debate upon the Land and Income Tax Assessment • Bill in the Legislative Council to-day yave several southern monitor-; an oj»- £ jxirtiutity of expressing their vimv.s. J' . Mr tJ. J. Hmith suiii tluit »oin«> hart! j, : W'onbf had , boen epok-u of the early tJ

settlers by the previous speaker,' but New Zealand owed much to its pioiirers. Ho favoured tho Bill, but did not like the talk of "bursting up , ' large estates. If the holders of large, areas liked to pay tho t:»x, they should be permitt«l to do so, and if any of their land was required for closer settlement it could f bo bought under the Land for i>ettle- , tneuts Act. The taxation imposed by tho Bill was heavier than most people imaginod, and in the event ot the- price > of our products goin,: down, landowners would in many ctwes experience con- » siderable diiticulty in meeting the dcs mands un<ler the nwanure. tie woukl have preterm! last scion's limitation nroponals, because the idea of taxing ' a man out of his holding savoured ot injustice. As an indiyiutial he tavoureu t> the freehold every time, but Irora the . point- cf view of the .State the mdi,- , vidual (!c*ire ior land must give way L before the interest* of the M.ite. and ' In- bclioved in preserving the remaining lands of the Cimvn a.-s lea^hoU-.. .Sir Anstey explained that hr hed had soiii" experience—u»t very pleasant— -oi „ puviii" land ta.\. He objiotcd to the laiiour party, which n< v« r had. any ? nr. ctical vxi'criciKO or interr-t in the land, tolling tho farmers exactly how • nnich hmd tax .should bo paid. Ot ' coiu.M- they did not pmpox? to cut up 1 iiny town ar«-a«». 'Ihe general principles ot tho Hill had hLs hcaitv approval, for h< , believed it would In* to tin* inteicst <.i tin- <ountry to reduce- the- t-ize oi " the largest ♦-.states. It must not be ' that land owners paid eveiy other tax in addition to the land tax. 1 Tlhto /-hoiild be two forms of tho tax— ono to bo paid, in all eav-rs by the ■' owner of the land, and the other a 1 graduated tax to bo levied upon the ? occupier. This woulu wipe away no ena ' of ilitiicultice now piisentod in the ■ pomewhat involved form d imposing the ■ taxation. Land owners should be given > an opportunity of reducing their stiri plus land gradually, taxation being » lightened upon their remaining land $o • long a.s they continued the reduction ' process. A blot on tin- Uill, which he thought a di-.zrace to the British Sta- • tlit** Book, was tho jumping nature of the- graduated tax. When the capital value increased from £39,000 to • £-10,000. the man who held an estate with an unimprovrd value of £40,000 ■ pai<l £55 moro than the holder of an estate, of £39.000. Ho pa Iα £55 on the last £1000, which was nothing but confiscation. .Mr Rigg: You must draw the line somewhere. .Mr Anstey replied that there was no necessity to Kteal another man's propttrty. beeaus© that was what it meant The* anomaly spoiled tho Bill, and it iwould be bound to be altered, eomp day. Another defect was that tho graduated "tax did 1 not increase after £200,000. Mr Wigram questioned whether it would bo possible to carry out the provisions of the Act in regard to including in tho amount of land subject to tho tax a shareholder's interest in land hold by a company. Ho supported! the general principles of the Bill. The debate was again adjourned.