A TAXATION POLICY
As hinted by Mr. Massey in his reply to "Justice," the Government proposes to appoint a Boyal Commission to inquire into the present system of land and income taxation. A Committee made a similar inquiry in 1922, with little practical result. Greater benefit may be expected from a Royal Commission only if the personnel is more wisely chosen. The Government has already made one grave error in selecting a Judge as chairman. We do not doubt Mr. Justice Sim's qualifications for the task. His long experience on the Arbitration Court Bench gave him valuable experience, and his judicial capacity, is not questioned. But taxation is a political matter, and it is entirely wrong to mix politics and the Judiciary. If the Commission is successful, it will provide a taxation policy for the Government. That policy will be discussed in Parliament and oufof it (at least we hope it will) and criticised. How will it be possible for opponents to attack the recommendations for which the chairman of the Commission may be mainly responsible without impugning the judgment or impartiality of the Judge? We do not doubt that the assistance of the Judge would be most valuable in solving the tax problem, but the price of that assistance is to drag the Bench into politics. It is too high a price. A second mistake, we fear, will be made in the appointment of business men only as members of the Commission. In 1922 the Committee was so well balanced "that it did little. This time it appears as if there is to be no balance at all. We wish to see business men represented, but not to the exclusion of other sections, and, above all, not to the exclusion of that great mass of the people who pay taxes through the Customs or upon their small savings. In framing the order of reference, also, power must be given to the Commission to consider whether a fair and just proportion of taxation is collected through the Customs. This may be cknie without reopening (,oe whole tariff issue..-
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Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 78, 1 April 1924, Page 6
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348A TAXATION POLICY Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 78, 1 April 1924, Page 6
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