THE TAXATION QUESTION

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 6 September 1915, Page 4

THE TAXATION QUESTION

A return showing the actual amounts ot tax (land and income) paid by persons m business, ? s compared with the amounts payable by persons using land ot the same unimproved values for farming purposes, under the existing rates of taxation, was placed before the House by the Minister for Finance (the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, on Friday. Ihe return gave figures for town properties and country properties of similar value, so-ne typical illustrations being as follows:Business property of £12,071 unimproved value, total variation £541 12s iVYo 00™? *?* £528 18s 4d- land tax xft i . yd. ?farrn property same value, total taxation (land tax) £12 13s 9d. Business property of £53,604, unimproved value, total taxation £3374 5s $--i& n,°°!?^ tax -€2828 ls 4d > ]and tax ±o4b 4s 4d); farm property same value, total taxation (land tax) £625 17s 9d Business property of £105,441 unimproved value, total taxation £3080 19s I «Ci^° l me Ux £1386 9s 4d > land tax £1094 10s 2d); farm property same value, total taxation (land tax) £2041. On seventeen cases quoted, the total /?tv>a^ on paid k-v the business men was J|ft 13s IQd, and by the farmers •+.58U1 y s 2d, the unimproved value of the land used being the same under each heading. Sir Joseph Ward said that this showed that the amount naid in land tax and income tax by people in the towns was tremendously heavy in comparison with the taxes on country lands of equal value.