RATING RELIEF

Northern Advocate, 7 November 1932, Page 3

RATING RELIEF

PROPOSALS OF COUNTY COUNCIL. (Per Press Association. —Copyright.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Saturday. A movement to relieve farmers of a portion of the reading taxation burden and to provide better secondary roads, has been commenced by the Taranaki. County Council and will be taken further. The council objects to the present system, which compels adjacent landholders to provide secondary roads for general purposes. The council passed a resolution that, while appreciating the present financial difficulties of the Government and approving its action regarding the £500,000 taken from the main Highways Fund to assist in balancing the Budget this year, the council was of opinion that the present, main highway revenue should be definitely preserved for its original purpose, being maintenance and construction of roads and bridges. The resolution continued that, after providing for the reasonable maintenance of main and secondary highways, a subsidy of not less than 121 per cent, of motor taxation should be provided from the Main Highways Revenue Fund and paid to county councils to be applied to the maintenance of roads other than highft'ays, such subsidy to be distributed on the basis of the total rates collected for the preceding financial year.