THEY CAN TAKE IT!

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22439, 20 September 1947, Page 4

THEY CAN TAKE IT!

BRITISH TAXATION £6OO ON £IOOO CAR TOURISTS IMPRESSIONS “When we were in New Zealand I thought that taxation was so heavy that it could not be much worse in Great Britain or anywhere else. Now 1 am not so sure. Taxation here is pretty drastic,” writes Mr. J. limes, formerly of Gisborne, to the Gisborne Herald from Inverness. ‘I cannot make a proper comparison between taxation levels here and in New Zealand, not having a sufficiently complete knowledge of the subject. Here are a few details, however—enough to go on with. 'lf a taxpayer is fortunate enough to have a clear income of £OOOO a year or more he or she will pay IDs (Id in the £1 on all income in excess of that amount. New Zealand’s Finance Minister would be content with only 18s in the £l. Dr. Dalton’s Penny Half-penny.

“However, not many of us are personally interested in the taxation on incomes of that level. What interests a few of us rather more closely is that if we buy a car for £6OO net cost we have to pay £2OO purchase tax, representing 33 i-3 per cent. “Recently an amendment has been made in the purchase-tax incidence which means that a car purchased at a net price of £IOOO carries a tax of 66 2-3 per cent —£600 on a £IOOO purchase!

“1 may say that even this level ot taxation is of no personal interest to Mrs. Innes or me. Let us get down to something that does. If we go to the pictures and pay 3s 6d per seat—7s for both of us—the Chancellor of the Exchequer gets 3s of the 7s. In other words, we pay 3s more for our seats than we should if there were no taxation on entertainments.

If I smoke a cigarette Dr. Dalton gets a penny half-penny out of that. The price ot cigarettes is 3s 4d for 20. I must admit that all this does not seem to prevent people from at least appearing to be happy and prosperous. “The British are a marvellous people!" _________