AMUSEMENTS TAX

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 304, 17 September 1921, Page 8

AMUSEMENTS TAX

SHOWMEN REQUEST ITS REMOVAL BUT GOVERNMENT PROPOSES AN INCREASE MINISTER’S FRANK STATEMENT A deputation representing theatre, vaudeville, ind motion picture interests waited upon the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir Francis Bell) yesterday to ask for tho removal of the amusements tax. The speakers pressed their case strongly, and stated that they had the support of the general public in asking that an inconvenient and unfair tax should be removed.... Sir Francis Bell indicated in reply that the Government did not intend to lift the amusements tax, and probably would increase it.

Mr. E. J. Rjfihton introduced the deputation, which represented, he stated, public entertainers from <.ne end of New Zealand to the other. fh« number of speaker's had been 4 limited in order to economise the time of the Minister. Mr. 0. N. Gillespie said that the amusements' tax had been imposed originally as a war measure, and had been endured more or less cheerfully in the war years. But recently public disapproval of the tax had steadily grown more intense, and the box offices were besieged daily by people who wanted to know when the' tax was coming off. This irritation was universal all over New Zealand, and the showmen, who were in touch with public opinion, felt that tho time had come to remove the tax. They contended that it. was vicious and undesirable in principle. It was a class tax, pressing with particular force upon the amusements of the masses. It singled out certain classes of amusement for taxation, and it had never returned as revenue an amount commensurate with the hardship and inconvenience it inflicted. Mr. Gillespie assured the Minister that the public wished the amusements tax removed and that the charge affected de attendance at picture theatres. Mr. G. H. Saunders (New Plymouth) said the showman had found that the public objected to the amusements tax. and in the. war years many of them had not 'passed it on to their patrons.. Ibe tax had caused a severe drop in receipts when first imposed. It had driven Some people away from the picture theatres and had caused others to use cheaper seats? The reduction in revenue bad forced proprietors tn many cases to run their shows .on tho cheapest lines possible, and had been responsible for the amalgamation of various firms. Even to-day picture theatres were closed in various parts of tho country, since the public support was not sufficient to justify keeping them all', open. Since, the war most of'the showmen had added the tax to the admission charges. They had a very hard battle with' the public, but with the aid of sneeial adyertismen ts nnd slides in the theatres, they made tho public fully understand that tho fax was a Government measure. The position had not grown easier with time, and there was still nn ever-increasing agitation amongst patrons for the removal of tho tax. THE MINISTER’S REPLY.

Sir Francifc Bell, in reply, said that he would consider the representations that had been made. But so far as tho representations h.-d reached his comprehension he had not been moved personally from the l attitude of tho Government. He thought that he spoke. for all the members of the Government except Mr. Massey, who was absent, in saying that Ministers regarded the amusements tax as a proper tax, and .not by any means as a war tax. It was a form of taxation that no person was compelled to pay, dinco the. objector could avoid the taxation by staying away from the show. That was from the public point of view. . The interests .of the showmen had to be considered separately. The idea that had been in tho mind of lhe Government had been to largely increase the amusements tax, not to remove it. But the final decision rested with Mr. Massey, who was Minister of Finance as well as head of the Government. He did .not know what effect the arguments of the deputation might have upon the ’ Government, but he did not wish to leave an\ impression that the Government had been considering the removal of the tax. What had been considered by the Government had been the establishment of the amusements tax on a higher basis, for the purpose of producing additional revenue for the State. He could not agree that it was a class tax He did not think that any con'si’deration of the arguments placed before him would induce him to change his opinion rh that point. . Ho believed that tho amusements tax fell upon every class in the community, except those who preferred religious exercises to entertainment. ' The Minister added that ho. feared he had not given much encouragement to tho deputation. He had tried to tell them frankly what they hail to meet as far as the views of the Government were concerned. Now that they knew tho position they could undertake further representations and agitations, which might have more effect upon the head of the Government a fortnight hence than they had upon the head of tho Government that day. The members of tho deputation thanked the Minister, and withdrew.