MOTOR TAXES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12521, 5 April 1935, Page 4

MOTOR TAXES

PROPOSED AL'|'Pj>R'ATIONS ;1N ; THE LAW. - - J (Pres* Aosoci&tlftaj AVELLJNGTON, April 4. As, to the ,Motor Vehicles- Amendment; Bill (brought down ,in thy House tqMay) it was explained that clause 2 .wiis designed *to . Pl’ercpme the (inpitiajy- . shown by a recent <A>urt. case in which it vas 'held '.that .rental cars and taxicabs not- plying..P« A he streets were liable tod,ocal,. by-law- fees. The clayJJj would, make them liable in the saino way as taxi-cabs plying on the streets. Another section relfted, to the ..exemption of .certain vehicles from aip huaT license fees and. eon,sequpntiail;- ' to the 6d.a. gallon, of motor spirits tax nnd. also ijn. the case of heavy motor vehicles) heavy traffic . fees. At present, this exemption-.provided- for (a) vehicles owned by the Crown .or local bodies and used exclusively in - the construction or. maintenance of 'roads' and "street ß a »4 (!»)_, all. motors designed apd psed, explusiyely in the ■same Avav and Vhich could not be <used or readily adapted for any other purpose. The, latter .part. ; of this exemption was. now, to, he.• dropiied. as. jn practice, it. had been found both unsatisfactory and impracticable. ; The first' part of the exemption.relating tit Crown and local body vehicles is, to ; bq extendedjto cover motors used principally, for road : and street fivork, but yuotor cars and motor cycles were debarred from the benefit of. the exemption. -• A new-, clause ..provided that further exemption from license fees might be 'granted by the Governor-General-in-Council and it was the present intention of the Government to recommend that farm tractor,-,, veil borers and other similar .types ot ’motor vehicle using the roads only sometimes should be exempt iiom taxation as above, but that, instead, they should be required to pay a mileage taxation, as provided in the clause, the object of which is. to transfer from the Finance .Act- to the Motor Vehicles Act the provisions concerning mileage tax on those motors which did not consume spirits. Another amendment to _ the same section would have the following-re-sult (a) all motor vehicles consuming motor spirits and using roads for the greater part of their time,would.paytaxation through the motor spirits tax and annual license fees and (in the case of heavy vehicles) heavy traffic fees : (b) all motor vehicles not consuming motor spirits would pa.' ’taxation through a mileage tax based on their actual road mileage; (e) those motor vehicles which consumed motor spirits, but which were omy used on roads for a small pa-rt ot their total employment, would now be able to be exempted from license fees, motor spirits tax and heavy traffic fees, but could be required to pay a mileage tax based on the use they made of the roads. The Bill also increase to 75 per cent the former remission of 60 per cent., of mileage tax payable no electric vehicles, thereby carrying the recommendations of the Transport, Co-ordination Board after its recent public inquiry into motor taxation.