TAXATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 16 November 1928, Page 6

TAXATION IN NEW ZEALAND.

CORRECTION IN HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Through flic watchfulness of the High Commissioner’s Office, oh: incorrect statement regarding New Zealand taxation ma.de in the Imperial Pairlia--memlt has now been amended. On June 21st last, Mr Parkinson, M.P., asked itflws Chancellor of the Exchequer the amount of taxation in sterling per head of the population in, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the U.S.A., Canada, Australia., New Zealand afid South Africa., ain't! in liis reply Mr Churchill' quoted, amongst the olthers 1 , the figures for Australia! as £9 Is 6d and New Zealand as £l4 Os 9cl. Enquiries were made by Sir James Parr ait the Imperial Treasury, and he ascertained that the figure® were arrived at on a basis of a total taxation of £20,086,000 and a population of 1,431,000. It appears that this sum included over £3,000,00 for post and (telegraph revenue, which is obviously not taxation, and Sir James pointed this out and showed that the correct figure for the 1 year should be £l2 7s lid, which is based on a total taxation of £17,254,G85. Sir James also drew attention to the fact that the figures given • for Australia did not include State taxation, and that it would be" fairer when making comparison between Australian and New Zealand taxation to do so. The Lords Commissioners of lI.M. Trcalshury thanked the High Commissioner for drawing attention to- the matter, and took the opportunity of correcting the error by means of a further Parliamentary question address eel to the Chancellor of the Exchequer by Captain Bourne, M.P. In his reply, the Chancellor 'of the Exchequer stated that the High Commissioner for New Zealand had called ills attention to the fact that taxation! per head in New Zealand should have been stated at £l2 7s lid, arad the figure given in his reply of June 21st, viz., £l4 0s 9d, was taken from unofficial sources and included postal revenue. He also' stated ais regards Australia!, tlvo figure given, viz., £9 Is Gd, was the amount of Commioinwealth taxation excluding States aind provinces, and that the figure more comparable with that given for New Zealand -would be the figure of Commonwealth and State taxation domblueicl, and this figure is £l2 19s 9d.