A BACHELOR TAX

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 110, 11 May 1932, Page 6

A BACHELOR TAX

The suggested imposition o£ a bachelor tax_ is the subject of two letters—for and against the suggestion,' "Tax the Bachelor"! is obviously in favour of bachelors incurring some penalty, and submits arguments against those of the correspondent, "Careful," who admitted that it cost him £50 a'year for cigarettes, pictures, sports, etc., so that he and four friends, allowing for Government deductions, "spend £200 a year on amusements and smoking—more -than the average man to-day has to keep a family on." The correspondent submits that after the single man has paid his board and unemployment levy, and perhaps an insurance premium", he still has a good margin to live on, and he would tax the bachelors and use the money to raise the family allowance, say, 5s a week. "Surely," he asks, ''no bachelor earning a good wage would begrudge paying a tax if it was used to raise the relief worker's allowance and help to feed -the growing children and coming generation?" A different viewpoint is held by "Live and Let Live," who claims that many men are single to-day because marriage is oift of the question for them.1 He refers to returned, soldiers, who form a big proportion of the .bachelors of New Zealand, and who have sacrificed ' health anw strength -and prospects,. of -marriage. Although many are quite young, and earning fairly good wages, "Live and Let Eive" submits that they require all their money j to see them through their premature old age. i