THE PETROL TAX.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19941, 30 May 1930, Page 19

THE PETROL TAX.

TO IHE EDITOR Of THE TRESS Sir,—-I have just read in to-day's Preß3 a criticism by Mr F. W. Freeman voicing the opinion of tho Canterbury Automobile Association concerning the proposal of two members of the Auckland executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union to press for an increase of the netrol tax from 4d to lid per gallon. Mr Freeman is reported as making the following statement : "1 have always said that the farmers were the backbone of the country, but it appears to mo as though that backbone has to be reinforced by taxation provided by the motoring community." - Evidently farmers don't possess motor-oars, but if they do, they are not members of the Canterbury Automobile Association. How absurd! 1 suppose more than half the petrol tax is paid by farmers, and I also oonjecture that the Canterbury Automobile Association possesses a very fair proportion of farmer members, who, 1 hope, will thank their worthy president for his gratuitous insult. Mr Freeman's concern is not for the motoring public, but for the townspeople as against the country. The motor-owner in the town pays rates on his eighth of an acre, whereas the farmer pays on his hundreds, and iu cases thousands of acres. Does Mr Freeman consider it fair that the farmers should provide their thousands of miles of motor roads while the townspeople provide their few miles of pot-holes?

As a farmer living in the Waipara County, I average my three or four thousand miles a year with my car, and pay £SO towards the upkeep of the roads, which works out at 3Jd per car mile run by me during the year. Will Mr Freeman kindly work out mileage cost on this basis and let me know the result? Petrol at Is lOd per gallon will cost me roughly Id per mile, for I can only afford to run a light car; possibly it may cost Mr Freeman 2d, as he may be able to afford luxuries. The proposed increase in prices of petrol will mean l-3d per car mile, so that my cost of car mileage would be 1 l-3d against my present cost of 4sd, as my rates Would be reduced to a negligible quantity. Is it any wonder the farmers are in favour of an increase in the petrol taxP—Yours, etc., HARD-UP FARMER. May 28th, 1930.