Tax Relief To Stay On Job Urged

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30981, 10 February 1966, Page 1

Tax Relief To Stay On Job Urged

Taxation concessions as an incentive for men to stay on power project jobs were urged by the national president of the New Zealand Workers’ Union (Mr W. A. Dempster) in Christchurch yesterday.

“It seems to me that we, have to fight for better than j good conditions and wages | from the Government so that I our chaps can work to earn it to pay it back,” said Mr I Dempster. “It is a cat chasing; its tail.’’ Mr Dempster said criticism was often levelled at the New Zealand worker that he was not a “sticker” on a job. “Of course, he is a ‘sticker’ —who wants to work for nothing?” he said. “The farmers of New Zealand say they cannot go for increased production, because it only involves them in additional taxation. “If the New Zealand Government wants its Bluff smelter so badly, it should also consider the constniction worker on the question of taxation concessions. “The construction worker is like the New Zealand fanner in that he does not want to work for increased taxation.” Some workers on the Manapouri power project earned

£5O a week clear of board and lodgings, but this was subject to taxation, Mr Dempster said. Workers on the Manapouri power project were able to evade paying some of their tax by changing their employment and changing their country-, said Mr Dempster. He said that by going to Australia after earning big money for just a few months, they were able to have a holiday on the proceeds of their tax savings. When the same big-pay workers had worked a similar tax-dodge in Australia, they then tried to come back to the big-pay jobs in New Zealand.

“They're having holidays on tax-savings,” said Mr Dempster. “Once they've reached the maximum, they’re off for a trip. “It’s going on with underground powerhouse workers (at West Arm) and at Deep Cove. That is the popular thing.”