BILL INTRODUCED.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 15 October 1921, Page 6

BILL INTRODUCED.

ADVERSE CRITICISM,

(UY TELKUKAPB —I'KKIsS ABSOCIATIOK. ) WELLINGTON, Oct. 14, TJio Motor Vehicles Jjill, providing for additional taxation on motor vehicles,. was introduced in the House to-night by the Hon. W. D. Stewart. - The Minister said he had received various expressions of opinion on tbe>meaaure. Car owners, while welcoming, the Bill, disagreed with the schedule,' as they preferred a tyre tax to anyother system of levy. Garage ; proprietors opposed a tyre tax and supported the Bill's proposals, while locar bodies were not satisfied with the national registration and licensing proI posals, as they considered they should j be able to secure more revenue for road I maintenance. It had been objected tha* ' the Bill proposed the creation of an j additional body of public servants, bufe- [ this was an erroneous idea as the work, was expected to be done by some existing department. Mr. T. M". WiJford (Leader of the Opposition) asked how any ©f themoney proposed to be raised" under the Bill was to be ear-marked for the pur-' ' I pose for which it was raised. He said the Bill was really contingent on the 1 Highways Bill, but this measure warn I not going to pass, and therefore why^ impose additional .taxation under this~ Motor Bill? He condemned the amount' of license fees many commercial ear owners were called upon to day at pres- J sent. The best system of levy was ac- ' cording to use, with differentiation between solid and pneumatic tyres ~^t^ } Sir John Luke (Wellington.North)?/ considered that better results would W obtained by .extending the powers of • local government authorities rather tham by the proposals contained in the Voter Vehicles Bill and the Highways Bill, C , i Mr. R. A. Wright (Wellington South) opposed the Bill, which would impost an undue burden on owners. He ak*> condemned the proposal, to tax peopl*: of the cities, for instance, to build sj? highway that they would seldom or ever- , use, while roads, in their ohti locality^ remained in * shocking condition. W was unjust that local ratepayers should^ • have to pay for the maintenance of* city roads for motorists, whose'contribu^ tion. under the Motor Vehicles Billwould go into the consolidated fund for> expenditure elsewhere. ~~*" •■ The Minister interjected that cities would get more revenue under the Bill^ than they did now. _ '•; • Mr. Wright said he looked at thematter from the ratepayers' viewpoints If the Bill was passed, local bodied would lose one of their present sources' of revenue and would be forced to in--"crease their rates. £* ' The Hon. J. G. Coates (Minister efs Public Works) pointed out that licenser! fees under the Bill would bring mor*" revenue to local authorities than they\ got at present. He thought the Houasj." would be well advised to pass the see^ ond reading and let the measure go t»^ a special committee for consideration?? He thought a straight-out flat tax the? I best. " . ' , . f; . Mr. R. Masters (Stratford) opposed-" - the Bill, which he said would inflict jn- t .. justice on people in districts that hadbeen progressive and self-reliant ia making good roads for themselves * Mr, A. D. McLeod (Wairarapa) sai*^ members must hesitate to Support thisx measure until they saw the BiU which.- • would allocate the taxation. raised un- c, * der the Motor Vehicles Bill. He wouldv^ support the second reading in the hope 5 r that when it went to a special com-, mittee that committee would have ana opportunity at the same time to con-, sider the Highways Bill. He favoured a tyre tax. . ■% Mr. S. G. Smith (Taranaki) opposed? - the Bill, which, he said, attempted teU, assume functions properly belonging t»1 local authorities. If an attempt wa«s".'■ made to push the Bill through th»J "" House he would feel it his duty to assist < S; in every way in blocking it. ■ Mr. Jlassey said the Bill fcad bee»^ introduced for the purpose of ventilate ing the whole question. Our roads' were admittedly in-a bad condition, and:money was required if these roads "wer* • to be put in proper repair. It was pro-? posed to refer the Bill to a committee!- , and then the whole question could b»" ■ diequssed. The Government was simply* r i asking members, through the Bill, ts»f * find a solution of the problem. . After further discussion the Bill war; • read a second time on the voices. J. :