ANOMALIES FIRST

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 31, 6 August 1934, Page 8

ANOMALIES FIRST

■ Referring to pending unemployment legislation the Acting Minister of Employment stated last week that there were certain anomalies that imposed hardship on sections of the community that should be investigated at least with a view to giving a measure of relief if it were at all possible. Mr: Young added that his first consideration was for the unemployed themselves and nothing would be done that would jeopardise the stability of the Unemployment Fund. That view we can quite endorse. The unemployed must come first. This must be remembered also when subsidy schemes are under consideration. Even in the distribution of £250,000 to encourage new industries the first and principal question to be asked by the Unemployment Board is: What labour will this employ?

When the interests of the unemployed have been properly regarded, however, there are hardships, on

ihose who, though having no work and little income, are not "unemployed" in the sense that they can register and obtain assistance. We have in mind, particularly, the emergency tax taken from old people with small means. Old age and other Government pensions are not subject to the charge of a shilling in the pound, but super• animation payments and . incomes from savings (the private person's superannuation) are liable. Women have an exemption of £20; but there should be a greater exemption for the aged of both sexes. There are other anomalies in the taxation of earnings'. Relief workers do not pay on their allowances, but the person who has very little more but is not a charge on the Unemployment Fund is called on to pay. And when the Acting Minister is considering these and other anomalies he should remember the wholly unjustifiable demand for a shilling in the pound on the interest' deducted from Government and local bodies interest payments. It has been suggested that the Commissioner of Taxes and the Unemployment Board have no option but to demand this tax. If that is so the Government should at once direct that the demands be withdrawn pending the passage of legislation correcting the position.