CONTINUE TO INCREASE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20568, 30 May 1941, Page 2

CONTINUE TO INCREASE

BURDEN ON RATEPAYERS HOSPITAL BOARD LEVIES (Spec’.'il to 'llio Herald.) WAIROA, this clay. “Indications arc that the levies on local bodies will continue to increase as hospital boards are called upon to provide additional accommodation to meet further hospital services for the general public under the Social Security Act,” said the chairman of Ihc Wairoa County Council, Mr. A, T. Carroll, when dealing with hospital levies in his report on the administration of county affairs at the annual meeting.

The chairman raid that the amounts paid lo boards from the social security binds towards the cost of providing these services were not likely to approach anything lilac the additional costs entailed, both by way of capital expenditure and annual upkeep, with the result that under the present system of financing hospital hoards, a greater burden would fall on the ratepayers.

“It is high time.” he added, ‘That the question of hospital finance was reviewed to relieve the increasing burden on ratepayers by spreading the cost in a more equitable manner between the Government, the ratepayers and the users of the institutions."

At the last municipal conference the subject was brought up and a remit passed urging the Government to bring about an urgently-needed reform in the system, while the Minister of Health, in a recent statement, expressed the view that taxation was not equitable and required modification. The time, therefore, was ripe for a united effort by all contributing bodies to bring the matter once more before the Government with the object of securing some relief for the ratepayers, which was long overdue. Last year’s levy, said the chairman, amounted to .iifiaOS, while the current year's levy would be approximately •C 0340, and would mean an increase in the hospital rate for the year 11)41-42 from ;;d in the £1 to Jd in the til, and but for the fact that a credit of £G3B was held in the hospital separate rate account, it would have been necessary to levy a rate of gel in the £l, capital value.