5 Per Cent Of N.Z. Incomes Over £2000

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30188, 20 July 1963, Page 13

5 Per Cent Of N.Z. Incomes Over £2000

Two yean ago 48,617 New Zealander*—nearly 5 per cent of all persons receiving incomes—earned £2OOO a year or more, while more than 8 per cent, earned £ 1500 or more.

These figures, released by the Government Statistician (Mr J. V. T. Baker) emerge from the question on incomes asked in the 1981 census. In the IBM census, no question was asked about persons earning £2OOO a year or more, but nearly 8 per cent, of income earners gave their income as £l5OO a year or more. (Between 1955 and 1960 retail prices increased by 15.4 per cent., according to the consumers' price index. An income of £l3OO in 1955

would therefor* have purchased the same quantity of goods a* an income of £l5OO in 1983, and an income of

£l5OO in 1955 would hsv* purchased ute same as an income of £ IQ! in 1960.) At the 1968 census there were 56384 New Zealander* with incomes of £l5OO or more; in 1961. 86320. Of th* 48,617 at the later date whoa* incomes were £2OOO or more. 46.188 wer* males and 2451 females.

Of the 2.414.964 person* covered by census return* in 1961, 1,363.721 were shown a* having no income. “Children comprise a large proportion of both groups, and the female group contains a large number at housewives, whoa* work is not income-earning,"

Mr Baker say*. The largest single group of income earner* was those in the £7OO or £899 group—--196,628 people, or 19 per cent of all those earning Incomes; in 19M the biggest group was the £5OO to £699 group, accounted for 22 per cent of the total in that year.