TAXING THE BACHELORS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 11452, 28 February 1931, Page 10

TAXING THE BACHELORS

SHADOW OVERMANGING BRITISH SINGLE MEN. 19ui is going to be a sad year for bachelors. All the world —or nearly all th e world—is against them, and ibgfore long most eligible and unmarried men in Europe will have to torsake their comfortaole bachelor state or pay up and look pleasant, tor the Bachelor Tax litis arrived. An examinatoin of world-wide tendencies made by a “Sunday Chronicle'’ writer revealed that country after country is adopting the system of taxing men who remain unmarried merely for personal preference. So far as Britain is concerned, the question of a bachelor tax may be raised at the next General Election, when, it is thought, the women’s vote will influence its adoption. The countries where taxes on bachelors are already in force are:— France, Italy Germany, Jugo-Slavia. Russia and 'Spain may follow suit during the year. England had u bachelor tax in the days of William the Third. It was dropped in 1700. But now it may be revived. Air. Harry Day, M.P., pressed for this in. 1927, but nothing was done at tlio time. Now, however, the mutter is to be raised again. The Bachelor Tax may figure prominently at the next General Election, when the move to obain such tax will have support from influential quarters. The tremendous weight of the* tomen’s vote may turn th e scale and bring tlio tax to Britain. There arc more than two-aud-a-half million bachelors of full age in England and Wales alone. A tax on them such as those introduced in other, countries would bring much money into tlio nation’s coffers, or encourage marriage, but it might result in driving many wealthy bachelors from the country. This has happened in 5 Jugo-Slavia, where tlio tax operates only in cities and largo towns. There "lias, therefore, been a tremendous exodus of stalwart bachelors from the largo towns to the villages. The lax in Jugo-Slavia is the most complete experiment in this direction that has yet boon made. It operates on men between the ages of 30 and 00, and the stiffest- tax is levied on those between 30 and 35. Franco has taxed bachelors since 1920. Thoso of more than 30 years of age pay a super-tax of 25, per cent. Italy has. taxed bachelors, between 25 and 05 since 1927. In both countries the effect of tlio tax has been to stimulate the marriage ltlto to a surprising extent. In France even unniarrie.d women over the age of 30 aro charged 25 per ceiit. extra for being single.