RACING TAXATION

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 127, 30 May 1924, Page 11

RACING TAXATION

DECLARED TO BE EXORBITANT

TOO MANY RACE DAYS IN CANTERBURY.

(BT TELEfiRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, 29th May. Speaking at the annual meeting" of the Canterbury Jockey Club to-day, the chairman (Mr. John Grigg) said: "Aro racing clubs to-day being treated in a fair manner '! After paying exorbitint. taxation, in many cases out of ve.■icrve funds, the rail -charges, on horses me out of all reason, and many race trains have to be guaranteed by the clubs against loss. If all departments of the railways showed as muchs profit cs race trains and the carriage of horses, then the Minister of Railways would !iave easj- work. I should very much !ike to see a proper balance-sheet taken jul as to how much the railways of New Zealand gain by the extra passenger an'l iiorse traffic. Looking at all these facts. is it just and right that clubs should bo t:ixed to breaking point?—so much s:o that racing clubs might be forgiven if il'.ey said, 'Surely an enemy hath done this.' "

Mr. George Gould (treasurer) said v.ith regard to the reduction of the totalicator turnover that this was hard Ito account for. Probably it was due to the temperament of the Canterbury people, who were not rash speculators and did not put their hands out further ihan they could take them back with safety. Without wishing to be regarded as an anti-sport, Mr. Gould said that j ihere were too many opportunities for people to bet in Christchurch. In WelI Imgton there were 10 days, in Dunedin i 16, and in Christchurch "27; that was Lo say, in Christchurch there was more than one day a fortnight. His own im- ; pression was that betting within reasonj able limits was a harmless amusement so j iong as one was not at it too often. One 1 should come at it fresh and then drop ;it for a while. It would be better to rcd\ice the opportunities for betting" and so avoid the danger of having the : iotalisator wiped out altogether. Moder- . at ion was essential. f Mr. Gould, speaking with regard to j taxation, stressed the point that the club raced on a public reserve. It had spent ; £100.000 during the last few years on the Government's demand. The Government was a big and certain winner all j the time, and for anybody else it was ! hazardous. The sport on the reserve j was a national one, and it would be | a fair thing for the Government to give jup a year's revenue from the club. That I sum would put the club out of debt. It was very hard to see such large sums I of money go in taxation, when clubs "were more or less in difficulties. He realised that the Government looks to racing to provide a fair amount of revenue, but : now it Was taking more than a fair proportion 'from racing. Many clubs in ,New Zealand were racing on public reserves, and so had no title, and their borrowing powers were limited, and it iwas difficult to carry on. At the present time it could not be seen how the C.J.C. could get out of debt. He proposed tliat the Government surrender the totalisator tax, retaining the dividend, amuseHmont, and stakes taxes. Then the club would retain £13,000, and the Government wowd take £30,000. If the Gov- ; eminent did that for three years only, !it would get the club out of debt. At ' the end of that period the question : could be reconsidered. The taxes would i be left on the public, but the club's I debts had been incurred to provide comforts for the public. Owners were doing their share, and paying big taxes, and although they all.hoped for a Ballymena they did not all get one. Mr. Greenwood asked how the 23 clays' races in Christchurch was arrived at,

The chairman explained.-that in and about Auckland there were 31 permits each year (20 for racing and 11 for trotting) ; in Wellington 10 (9 racing and 1 trotting); in' Christchurch 28 (10 racing, 1 hunt club, and 17 trotting); and in Dunedin 16 (9 racing, 1 hunt club, and 6 trotting).