LAND TAXES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 587, 16 August 1909, Page 7

LAND TAXES.

DUTY ON CARRIED. OWNER LIABLE. EVEN WHEN HIS TENANT DEFAULTS.; (By Tolcsrtapb.-I'rcßa A««oclntlon.-Ooprrleht.| :. London, August 13. ', In oommittee of tho House of Commotia on tho Finance Bill, in- coniacotion with tho> duty of }d. in Uw £\ on undeveloped land, V Mr, W. Rutherford (Unionist .member for . West Derby) moved an amendment providing that when a. tenant has undertaken to develop land, ho should pay tho duty until; tho owner recovers possession. TJio Attornoy-Gisnoral. (Sir TV: Q. Robsoo) , ' , said tlie owner had a remedy againet a tenant failing to develop, and the amount' of duty ho pa)d would bo \ included in tha> damage awarded. , ' ; . : '''.'. ;, ; The Hen.' Lyulph . Stanley (Liberal I member for Eddisbnry) fleplared that t'i9' Government's oourse in doaling with amenij-] ments put a very severe strain upon thex' party's loyalty. , . . ... ..:'■;. ' '.. .. : Mr, Balfonr, who was mnch, oj»ere4, remarked that according to, the AttorneyGeneral an owner would be oQinpelled to pay tho dnty if-a tenant did npt fulfil his tions to develop; and the owner would have no recourse savo to launch a lawsait again6bi the tenant in order.to evict iim,''

"Thus,' , added the Loader of the Oj>po«tion, "a landlord is expected , to enforce Wa rights to the utteiniqat 1 fajthing, mi, thja, forsooth, isythe advice-of »■ Government: whose members have desqribed landjprdß as-' blackmailers,"; ..-.. ■ - • " ■',' ; '' '. : ' 1

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, , Mr* Lloyd-Goorgo, said cases such as had boon mentioned would bo rare.

The amendment was negatived by 192 rotes to 87. Clauso 13 was carried by 179 to 5U

[With the passing o£ Clause 18, the Committee' of the Commons liaa carried all the main enact-i ing clauses of the three land taxesr-<l) Duty onthe increment value of land, (2) reversion duty on leaseholds, (3) tax on undeveloped land. The Govornmont has dropped ovorboard the tax on ungotton. minerals. But tho fight over the land taxes enumerated may fco resumed in deal* ing with tho next part of tho Bill, which re-, lotos, to the vital juai;tor of valuation for land tax, Clause 13, just passed, provides as amended :—"Undeveloped land duty eliall be, $%■■ Hsssod by the commissioners and 6haH he payable at any time after the first day <jf Jawjaty of the year for which the duty ia o'wged, and any euon. duty fox the time being iupaid shall be recoverable from the owner of the land for_ the time being, ae a debt* dua to hia Majesty, and ehall' bo borno by {hat owner notwithstanding any contraot to tho contrary, Provided that in any oaso whero the commissioners are satisfied that land iarn the course of bona fido development, and that it would bo , just in the epocial circumstances of the case to 'postpone tho payment of undeveloped duty in any year, the commissionere pone the collection and payment of the duty {yt that year for suob period not exceeding five years as they may think fit."] v MB. UOYD-CEORGE POINTS TO Nl W ZEALAND. "TOTAL VALUE" AND "SITE VALUE. *. 1 , (Rec. August 15, 5.5 p.m..) I ' London, August 14 ' i. .In the Houeo of Commons, in oommiUee ' on .the Finance Bill, Clause li, renting to I tho "total value" and tie "site value" of i land, was adopted by 112 votes to 38. ' , Tho -Chanoellor of tho' Exohoqw, Mr, Lloyd-George, emphasised the fact thai simjljjr, objections to those pressed against tins'>fcl|i\i3e had been urged, when like Wr posals were jntroduood in N,ow Zealand, Nevortheloss, these were .working smoothly, and Now Zealand had offered a Dreadnought out of h,er own '

v He promoted that tho. Opposition would Bomo day congratulate themselves upon the resources that would bo placed at their disposal by the present proposals. > ' VALUE DEFINITIONS, Undor CUu.se M (valuat(ons) tho "total value" of land is the vulno of the fee pimple whiph it might be expected to realise in the open ranrkct, The '''sito value" is tho value of the fee simple if the land -flero divested of buildings . pr strtioturcs (including maohinery), and grow- \ ing timber, fruit trees, frail bushes, and I other things growing thereon. Tho land is j supposed to bo sold free from oncumbrftncea, ! but subjeot to nny easements, or to any ' covenants made ,before April 30, 1903, restrioting tho use of'the land, whore the oommifr. eioners decide that suoh restraints are in tho' public interest, Deductions from site values are to be mode on aocount of: (a) works of a peramn.ent pliaracter to fit the land fop building purposes. - as for any trade or industry other than agriculture, and (b) for tho cost of divesting the land of buildings, timber, trees, etc., upon it There are "1 clausos in the Bill, not counting the sohedules.