“Equality of Sacrifice”

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 170, 14 April 1932, Page 9

“Equality of Sacrifice”

Sir, —The byword in the mouth of the Government is “Equality of Sacrifice.” It is evident that they are ignorant of the meaning of equality. The ten per cent, fiat rate cut of 1931 reduced a man on £lOO per annum by £lO. It reduced those on £lOOO per annum by £lOO. Now the law of diminishing utility shows that each succeeding portion of a man’s income is of less utility than the preceding portion. Thu* the £lOO sacrifice wag decidedly less felt than the £lO sacrifice. In the newly proposed cuts the scale JS to be graduated, I see, from 5 per c®ttto 15 per cent. I consider that the graduation is by no means sufficiently steep. A Cabinet Minister, who no doubt has other income besides his be cut 15 per cent A man with £lOO is to be cut 5 per cent. A Cabinet Minister could be cut 50 per cent, and still have n comfortable income, but to a worker £lOO per year every penny a distinct necessity* _ _ . • The whole fallacy of the ent us that while it deprives the lower paid worker of the necessities of life it Js fro ® the highly paid only a few unnecessary luxuries. Surely there i« vitally wrong with a Government which persists blindly in class legislation of this aort?-I am, April 10. ___________