FARMERS’ COSTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20074, 21 October 1939, Page 10

FARMERS’ COSTS

DISCRIMINATORY TAXES LAND, HOSPITAL, PETROL GISBORNE PROTEST Despite the abandonment of the commission inquiring into the sheep industry, Gisborne district farmers desire the Government to pay attention to some of the broader aspects of the sheep-farmers’ difficulties immediately. Farmers of the district were quite prepared at the outset to see the commission’s activities postponed, in view of the war conditions, but at the same time they desire some relief from taxation.

The arguments of the Poverty Bay and East Coast Sheepowners’ Union were set out in a letter to the Poverty Bay provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union, meeting yesterday afternoon, urging that action should be taken immediately.

There were certain aspects affecting the sheep-farming industry which should not be allowed to drop, the letter stated, despite the cancellation of the Royal Commission. Poverty Bay farmers had no objection, to bearing their own share of the cost of administering the affairs of the country, or their full share of the burden of war expenditure, but they strongly objected to a continuance of the discriminatory taxation methods now in force.

More Than City Taxes

The first instance of that was the land tax, and so long as farmers were called on to pay income tax upon fhe same scale as other taxpayers there was no justification for demanding the land tax also. Mercantile firms paying heavy land tax reflected on the costs charged to the farmers. It was urged that the hospital levy also should be revised, the men on the land paying at least four to five times as much as the city taxpayer. The farmer also had to pay too great a proportion of the petrol tax.

“In the foregoing cases,” the letter added, “the discrimination is definite and obvious, and no Royal Commission is required to expose it. The last thing this committee desires is to cause any embarrassment to the Government at these difficult times, but in our view our industry is being penalised to an ever-increasing degree by unfair and discriminatory taxation which must retard production and perpetuate unemployment.

United Protest Urged

"This committee recommends that hie various farmers’ organisations should get together without delay with a view to lodging a united protest with the Government against any form of discrimination of our industry. Minor difficulties or any questions which should properly be the subject of careful investigation should be postponed in the meantime and attention be concentrated upon Ihose major matters of principle which are self-evident and which cannot be controverted.” The letter was received.