WAGES-TAX PROBLEMS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 124, 29 May 1933, Page 6

WAGES-TAX PROBLEMS

To keep contributors up to the mark, Unemployment Board inspectors are investigating wages-tax payments. It was reported on Saturday that the inspection so far carried out had resulted in the recovery of & substantial sum in taxation. Some of it would probably have been > lost through evasion; but the greater part would not have been,paid because taxpayers did not understand their obligations. With new and complicated taxation it is necessary to adopt such means to advise those liable of their duty; but the greatest hel,p to 100 per cent, collection is not inspection and prosecution but a clear law free from ambiguities and anomalies. The existing law shows some minor ambiguities which may be remold by official interpretation; but it can-, tains one glaring anomaly to which we drew attention last week—tfae taxation of income never received b«t deducted as stamp duty from Government andi local body interest wa:i> rants. We suggested that official instructions should be given to remove this anomaly by disregarding stamp duty in the assessments. Parliament could afterwards confirm the action. So far no-public statement has been; made on the subject.