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Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5880, 11 July 1890, Page 2

Mb James Laurence, writing to a morning paper, suggests " an income tax on every one who dooa not pay property tax, and whose income exceeds £250 a year," as a more just tax, and one which would equalise taxation better than the present system of taxing property. To show how jusiiy it ■would work let ua suppose that A is a bachelor having £1000 lent out at 7 per cent, interest, and is earning a salary of £230 a year. His total income would be £300. The £500 oxemption from property tax would leave him to pay on £500 ; his property tax would, therefore, amount to £2 la Sd. His neighbor B has no accumulated property whatever ; but he is married, lias six children, and a sick wife. His income is £300 a year; but because he is hard up, because he is bled at every pore through the Customs on all that his family eat, drink, and wear, Mr Laurence would make him pay an income tax! Now an income tax, to make it worth, collection, could not be less than 6d in the £, and Mr B would, therefore, have to pay on the £50 above £250 £1 5s on an income that would cease the minute he was incapacitated from earning it. No doubt Mr A would vote for Mr Laurence's proposal because the income tax would enablo the property tax to bo reduced by one-half. All faddists and all Liberals agree in one thing, which is to relieve the rich and ehovo taxation on the poor.