BENEFITS AND TAXES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 3, 3 July 1940, Page 6

BENEFITS AND TAXES

(To the Editor.)

Sir,.—ln Saturday's issue we noticed a letter in connection with. taoEation. and the age beneficiaries, andi woulg. like to state that very' many of those receiving, the £1 10^ would gladly earn. a. wage„ if they coold, twice and three times what is allotted them, but owing to old age they are.not wantedL The more energetic and. younger Mfc are naturally in demand. Moreover, there are many who- have- nothing; efae and no extra pound a week for any interest. The little some hold—in casfe of emergency—would not bring 5s in the year, and with the doubled cost of living, and rents for rooms at breaking point (which have not been restricted), many of. those aged are doing without proper meals and without any heating for the reason they cannot afford it. They' have less to handle now, in the present, state of affairs, than when receiving £1 2s 6d. If it were cut down any lower, unless the Government came to the rescue and ran up cheap rooms, the position would be desperate. Numbers of these old people are the remains of once willing Dominion builders, pioneers, whereas those receiving first-class payment are newcomers to New Zealand and have not helped to build this land as British citizens. —I am, etc.,

JUSTICE,

Replies to "Justice for AH" have also been received from A. W. Cox and "Just an Invalid." The latter submits that the provision given by the Social Security Act is the right of every citizen and should not be regarded as charity. Also,, that a person who- has security and health: should not begrudge a small 'advantage enjoyed by a person on an invalid pension.

It should be pointed out that 'Justice for All" did not ask that pensioners should be taxed,, but referred ta the inequality of taxing one persar. with. an income of £2 10s a week 5s because that person received the income from his savings,, and taxing another 2s because part of the income came from the State.