PARLIAMENT AT WORK

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 272, 11 August 1920, Page 8

PARLIAMENT AT WORK

DEBATE ON TAXATION « A BETTER BASIS DEMANDED WHO MUST BEAR THE BURDENS ? ■ Vert little was achieved by the House of Representatives at yesterday's sitting. Tho Houso spent the wholo day ill discussing a Bill at the introduction stages, and the matter of tho discussion was scarcely at all in point on tho Bill . 1 . Soon after llio daily bombardment of questions had ended the Prime Minister produced a sheaf of new Bills to be introduced by Mossage. They were tho Hospital and Charitnblo.Aid Amendment Bill, the Land and Income Tax Assessment Bill, the Magistrate's Court Amendment Bill, the To Aroha BorOQs'li Leases Bill, and tho Nelson Harbour Amendment Bill. It was on tho Land and Income Tax Assessment Bill thit all the discussion took placo. This is tho annual taxing Bill, by which tho Government gets authority from tho Houso to collect taxes according to tho legislation for tho tinw -being on tho Statute Book. This Bill! provides for the collection of land tax and income tax for the year ended March 31, 1920, and at the rates prescribed when last tho rates wero altered some, two or three ago. It is a very unusual 'thing for this Bill to bo discussed at all, but members seized the opportunity to discuss taxation generally, and to demand a fairer basis of levy. Some of .them demanded less Custom? taxation, and generally the same members urged that more revenue should be collected from big incomes and from big estates. The new proposals of tho Government with . regard to the incidence of taxation are in a Bill now before the Public Accounts Committee, a Bill which has not been beforo tho House, and when this Bill comes down a full opportunity will bo afforded tho House of discussing the taxation system of the country. It was suggested that the Government should delay the annual Bill until the new proposals camo down, in order that the new scheme should operate for the collection of this year's taxes; but, as was explained by the Prime Minister, it Is impossible to do this becauso all the timo availablo i§ required to enable tho Department to prepare the assessments for tho collection of tho two most important Uxm colW.od in thi co>tatrr.'