FROM THE PAST

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 59, 7 September 1945, Page 6

FROM THE PAST

TAXATION SPEECHES

GOVERNMENT TWITTED

Quotations used by Mr. E. P. Aderman (National, New Plymouth) and Mr. W. S. Goosman (National, Waikato) from speeches made by Government members when they were members of the Opposition provided some bright moments towards the end of last evening's sitting in the House of Representatives in the debate on the Land and Income Tax (Annual) Bill. Particularly was this so when Mr. Goosman read from a speech made by Mr. F. Langstqne (Government, Waimarino), in which Mr. Langstone complained of the people having to bath in taxed baths and paying taxation, in all manners of ways, even to being buried in taxed graves. Mr. Goosman said it was the same Mr. Langstone who that night had advocated the retention of .all the various forms of taxation. "It is marvellous how these men can change and still kid themselves that they are sincere and hope other people will think so," said Mr. Goosman. There were different kinds of capitalism, said Mr. Goosman. There was State capitalism, for which the Labour Government stood, and there was individual capitalism, for which the National Party stood. Under State capitalism the State taxed the people, taking all thej money they could from them, and collected the necessary capital to put into industry to provide work for the people and the members of the Government, the dictators, . decided into which business the money should be directed. If the Government took the capital away from the people the people could not put that money into, business. The National Party believed in leaving the money with the people and leaving them to decide into what industry the money should be' put, and that was why the Opposition advocated a reduction in taxation at the present time The Government was not concerned with building the people up, but with pulling the people down. Jealousy was one of the principal constituents of the Government's makeMr. Aderman said he wished to accept an invitation from the Minister of Health to go back into the past. He proceeded to read extracts from speeches made by the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser), the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr. Sullivan), and Mr. A. S. Richards (Roskill), and Mr Langstone criticising sales tax in 1933, when they were in the Opposition. He said that Mr. Fraser had stated that sales tax was the meanest form of taxation that had ever been introduced in New Zealand and that it was placing the burden on fee shoulders of those least able to bear it, the tax being another decrease in wages and another increase in the cost of living Mr. Aderman contended that if it was a mean form of taxation then it was still mean today.