Farmers and Taxation.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18016, 7 March 1924, Page 8

Farmers and Taxation.

In his defence yesterday of the relief given to farmers from the double tax imposed on them during the war, tha Prime Minister paid with some heat that he would Hire to see their critiea "on a back-blocks farm struggling '' with rent and mortgage and the high " cost of everything that the farmer " has to purchaso, including high rates "of interest, and endeavouring to " bring up a family respectably." Mr Massey was provoked into saying this by the obvious hostility to farmers of the writer "Justice," to whom he was replying —or, perhaps we should say rather, by the unreasoning jealousy of " Justice," and his deliberate attempt to make trouble between urban and rural taxpayers. While there is a certain amount of truth in what "Jus- " tico" said, his reason for saying it was not to remove inequalities, but to embarrass tho Government by creating strife. Fanners as a class owe tho' community nothing that thoy do not pay, and if the test of "every just " man and woman" is" readiness to ' ' pay for the State's services in ac- " cordance with their inceme," it would be' interesting to know how the anti-agrarian would estimate the virtue of the scores of men and women on farms who have been paying taxes out of capital. What is wanted in the Dominion is not eritieism ef the "Jus- " tice" brand, but a more intelligent appreciation of the essential unity of rural and urban interests. Mr Massey insists very properly on the necessity of increasing the number of primary! producers, and on tha danger of doing anything te make men hesitate about settling on the land. Why so many settle there as things are is indeed one of the proofs that the world is still romantic. The average farmer works harder, works longer, takes greater risks, and generally faces far deeper anxieties and disappointments than any other member of the community with whom he may be fairly compared. By restoring him to the condition, with respect to taxation, in which he was before the war, the Government merely kept a public promise, and if as a result of that change some few farmers are better off relatively than men with the same income in the cities, a very large number are paying land tax without any income at all. The duty of the Government is to distribute the burdens of tho State equally over the whole community, and this it honestly attempts to do; but if there is one thing more than any other which makes impartiality difficult, it is such partial criticism as that which has annoyed the Prime Minister.