BRITISH POLITICS

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 110, 7 February 1928, Page 9

BRITISH POLITICS

NO GENERAL ELECTION THIS YEAR

MR. CHURCHILL ON INCOME TAX AND LOCAL RATES

Rugby, February 4

In a speech at Birmingham last night,, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Winston Churchill, said obviously there could be no general election in 1928. The Franchise Bill must be passed into law, and new voters must lake their place upon the register. The mere machinery of that process would carry Parliament into the spring or summer

of 1929. He gave no encouragement to those who have lately been expressing hopes that the . coming Budget will reveal reaction in the income tax. The best hope for the income taxpayer lay in improvement in the national credit and in the conversion

of the immense internal debt to a more favourable rate of interest Air. Churchill pointed out that a reduction of local fates, that were a harassing burden on the production of industry - , called more urgently for attention, and ’f he had the necessary’ money advance in tins direction would round oft the financial policy of the present Parliament. By reducing the income tax by 6d. and giving additional relief to the smaller class of income tax payers the Government had already helped the saving and investing public. Bv re-establishing the go'd standard the Government had not only helped mercantile and bank'ng interests, but they had given honest money to the workmen, and had steadily reduced the cost ct living.—British Official Wireless.