NO NEW TAXES.

Evening Star, Issue 12943, 5 May 1908, Page 6

NO NEW TAXES.

SIR J. G. WARD ANSWERS MR ' HJASSEY In reference to % remark by Mr Massey that the Prime Minister had hinted the other night at a possible increase in taxation, Sir Joseph Ward stated to a ‘ New Zealand Times' representative : “ I conveyed no suggestion of a possible increase of taxation, and nothing of the kind was in my mind, nor can I see how it was possible for anyone reading my remarks to ,ome to such a conclusion- I was dealing with the extraordinary atti tude so frequently displayed by opponents of predicting financial trouble, some of them even going to the extent of suggesting disaster, and I pointed out that £1,550,000 in remissions of taxation and concessions in the public service had been given by our party, and that last year £405,000 of reductions in Customs duties and £20,000 in remissions of sheep tax had been granted. I contended that if there was any possibility of the troubles that some of our opponents had been suggesting, instead of giving away taxation wo would have looked round to shorten our canvas, and that the people who had received those concessions would quite readily have been prepared, had necessity arisen, to have dealt with such a position as was suggested by our opponents. I went on to say that 1 saw my way clear to keep up the same rate of public expenditure as during the past year, considering that 'we had a record revenue of over nine millions sterling for the year, and a balance in hand of £767,849 after making provision for all our requirements, including £150,000 of reduction in taxation hr paying off Treasury bills.