THE LAND TAX.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5535, 12 November 1879, Page 2

THE LAND TAX.

As a large number of landowners in the Hawke's Bay and Waipawa Counties still refuse to pay their land-tax, on the ground that s year's tax cannot legally be demanded at one time, we give publicity to the opinion of Mr Ooiinolly, of Messrs Connolly and. ' Pitt, , the well-known lawyers, upon'tho subject. The Ttangitikei Fanners' Club submitted to him a series of questions, which, with the answers, we givo in full :— -" 1. Is (he Land Tax Act so framed that the Oovernmtsiit can, if prosecuting defaulting taxpayers in tho Courts, obtain such remedies as will legally obtain from such defendants the tax attempted (to be collected I—Yes1 — Yes j they Can distrain, and even sell the land if necessary. 2. Can you suggest anything that would fairly enable a case to be tried in the court that would probably obtain a verdict for the defendant I— No. 3. Can you suggest any means of legally resisting this tax in either of the courts or by appeal to the court in Great Britain P—No. _ 4 Will you in general give us your opinion as to the best course for Us to pursue to resist tiio collection of this tax, either for a lengthened period or altogether ? — I can recommend no course for resisting tile Act While it remains in force. If the feeling against the Act is general, I can only suggest that steps be taken to obtain its repeal. 5. Is -the Act in any way beyond the powers of the General Assemly to pass ?— No. 6. Will it make any difference in the legality of the collection of the tasc that tko Act sets out the tax shall be collected in two halfyearly paymcuts ?—]S T o; 7. Is there anything iii the half-yearly cdlledttoii clause which will prevent the collection of the whole year's tax at one time P— Assuming that the tax foi! t\VD hall-years is due when the collection was made; as was tlie case on the Ist instant, I can see Ho reason why tllby sildiilci not be collected at the same time.". As opposed to this is the repty of the Premier to a question asked in th'rt r House l»y M? $edcV6h last week. Mr Hall did not think that the tax for the whole year could be collected at once, and added that , tjle CWermue'iit had found that they would have either to pay back what they had already received or have fresh legislation on the subject. They could not; "he said; Bdllect the r'enmib.cter o£ {lib tax without fresh legislation, and they would make provision for getting it during the present session.