CUTTING OFF RED TAPE

Manawatu Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 12750, 24 March 1914, Page 6

CUTTING OFF RED TAPE

| WELLINGTON, March 20. j Taxpayers have noticed a complete I change in the form of this year's land ■ and income tax demands, this being due to the inauguration of a new system of preparation. As the real test |of these innovations lies in the reI suits the Public Service Commissioners can fairly claim to have scored a ( success. The Department, reviewing the process after completion, has come to the conclusion that it will j save £4OOO per annum by the new system, which enables the tax demand, the form of receipt, a ledger entry, and another record to be typed in one operation, the duplications of the top copy being obtained by carbon paper. A good deal of ingenuity has been shown in adopting the system to the work, not only of this department, but of several others which have to issue large numbers of demands for cash. There were about 55,000 land and income tax notices this year. The Lands Department, another big revenue collecting branch of the Civil Service, sends out 64,000 separate accounts annually, and the State Guarteed Advances 52,000. The system has been grafted on to the departments with good results in . the way of speed and economy, the saving in the Auckland land district being estimated at £7OO per annum. It has even been adapted to the collection of fees for boiler certificates levied by the Inspector of Machinery Department.