MR BRYCE M.H.R., ON THE PROPERTY TAX.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 46, 24 February 1890, Page 4

MR BRYCE M.H.R., ON THE PROPERTY TAX.

*HB PBOPERTY. TAX 081-NDED.

I am going to take come of the objections to the property tas. First of all, I may ssy that I am againßt all taxation in one aepeo&. ' Every taxis bad', objections may be raised to every tax, and I believe it osn be shown tbat every tax ia an iDjary to the country m some way, and I do not think there would be much difficulty in proving it. The ohief argument I have heard against the property tax is that it is a tax on thrift and industry 1 That is so common an argument that I am sure everyone here must recognise it at onoe. It is a tax on thrift and industry! lam going a long way baok, 1 900 years ago, and . tbat is a good while, an edict was sent forth. Moat of us have heard of it, for it is on record that all the world should be taxed. Now some edicts are kept and some are 'broken, bnt lam afraid that that particu'ar ediot has been kept, and all tha world known at that time has been taxed from that day to this. .But during a'l that 1900 years m my opinion there never has been a tax -imposed except it was a tax on thrift and industry, so " to my mind it ia ut erly impoesible to impose any tax exoept a tax that comes on thrift and industry. You might as well try to get blood out of a stone as get taxation from any other Bouroa whatever. Of oourse, thero are different kinds of industry. There is what may be oalled current industry. If a man ia earning 6i a diy wi'.h his spade or. shovel, or at a fUxmill, and that is taxed, that is a tax on ourrent industry. If a pro- - lessional man ia earning £1000 a year, and he is taxed, that ia a tax on curient industry. Bat if a tax is imposed upon accumulated property, which a man may inherit from his father, or a father may mak. over to his son, that is a tax upon accumulated industry. It is a tax, s .iatly speaking; on property suoh as might be inherited from a father or left to a eon. I ask you why property should not be expeoted to pay towards tbe expenses of Government ? Government, bb you are aware, exists for the purpose of protecting the lives, the liberty, and property of its subjects, and why property should be expeoted to ero-tp-* from paving its share of the taxation I o.n« .ess I have always been unable to understand, Take B orne of the Republics of. America. Take Peru, or Chili, or Brazil, or the Island of '- Hayti. How glady property-holders there 1 would pay the tax, ami a very large tax, for suoh proteotion as even New Zealand now enjoys for its property. (Cheers.) Ddpend ; anon it that the tax may be regarded as I have seen it stated in the local paper, soarcely as an insurance premium for the protection whioh property receives, and as I say again, I do not see why property Bhould not, at any rate to some extent, contribute towards the expenses of the . Government which defends it. Another objection taken towards the property tax is this : •• Very well," it may be eaid " that is right enough. Tax property, but do not tax property that does not yield an income. Do not do that, sir. at any rate ; when property , only yields a sufficient inoome, take care not - to tax it too highly, but let the property whioh yields a good income pay." Oan that be seriously said? If ib is seriously said what doeß it mean .? It means tbat the man who occupies his land and labours upon it, the man who invests his money wisely, and the man who has a good business and trade, and the man who makes an income out of property is to be taxed to the hilt, but the man who leaves his property unoccupied, the man who invests unwisely, the man who does not attend to his machinery, and so on, he is to be let off. It appears to me that suoh an argument advocates a property tax on thrift and industry with a vengeance. (Loud cheers). *' IAND TAXATION. "Some poi ticians in this country talk about putting the whole burden of taxation on the * country or on land. I have thought the subject out as far as my limited capacity will enable me, and I declare to you that my opinion is that the thing is utterly impracticable. Why, the country is barely able, even at the present time, to bear the burdens that have been imposed upon it, and I may say that the country never hus been able to bear the burdens imposed npon it in • the colonisation of the country fully. That " fact has been recognised by Government after Government — Provincial and General Government. What is meant by the sub- "- Bidies whioh were constantly given to the country, except an acknowledgment that the country was not able to bear the burdens of '-colonisation which were cast upon it. (Hear, hear.) To come to the present day. Did I not see a statement in a paper here a ,very short time ago, that in the county of Waipa alone 50 settlers had not paid their rates, and could not be got to pay their rates. Its was not suggested for a moment that there was essential unwillingness on the part of the settlers to pay, but they were not able to pay even the small amount of - money without sacrificing property, and at an unfavourable time. Yet it is gravely talked about imposing direct taxation upon land whioh is to bear the whole burden of the taxation ox the country. It is utter and downright nonsense depend upon it. Did you ever hear the Spanish couplet, which goes something in this way :■■— " From the chambers of the east Blessings on the bonnie beast, Comeß the donkey proud and strong With our loads to pace along." Some politicians in this country regard the country settler as Spanish donkeys. ' (Laughter and cheers.) They are very willing indeed to pet and fondle and stroke them. They are willing enough to invoke i blessings on the "Bonnie Beast,' but they are. equally determined that the "Bonnie Beast " shall bear the whole burdens of the ' community. (Laughter and cheers.) In the interests of the town, equally with the interests of the country, I Bay suoh a policy would be little short of suicide. I do not know how I h-vc impressed you, but at any rate I have spoken what I really feel on the Bubject ; and I will now give the haters of the property tax some little comfort. HOW TO REDUCE OB ABOLISH THE PROPERTY I have apian in my own mind whioh I think is the best plan for reducing the property tax, or perhaps abolishing it altogether. There are two plans. One plan, which I have heard repeatedly stated, is to take care that at the next general election all candidates shall be pledged to * vote for the total repeal of the property tax. -• An electorate has a perfeot right, if it iikeß, to impose a pledge on ita candidate, but I «ay any electorate that does exercise its right, unless with the greatest care and caution, aots unwisely, beoause it is easy to degrade the representa* tion of the country, and to convert your representatives, ot -boae who ehould be yonr * tcpie«nta«ives in tbe higb<?r and bettor sense, into mere delegatee. No doubt tbero would be plenty of candidates forthcoming who wonld so pledge themselves. No diffionlty would be found in ibat wny. Plenty of candidates would be ready to take that pledge, or any otber pUdgo that you may imposo upon them. Thty would taka a pledge lightly at-d v*ry likely treat it as lightly. They would, no doub 1 :, try to fulfil it. Supposing you pledged your candidate to tho total repeal of the pioperty tax. He migh\, etc that suoh an al' oration would throw the ' finances of the colony into total conf ÜB.on, and he might tay 1 shell not break any pledge, but be would give a perfunotory per- - - formauoc whioh would have no effect at all, and thuß you would be brought not one step nearer the object at which yon were aiming. Weheaid a H«l- while ago that tbere wsb to bo a great turplcs ibis year. I sm sorry to htar the surplus is not likely to be so greafc as was autioipa'ed ; tnt, however, there may be a surplus I iaw in certain papers a BOggeetion that soma taxation might be taken cil tea and Bcgar. I ccc objeo'ious to that. I is a v ry esrious thing, it appears to me, to tinker With tho tariff, especially whh arde.'e. Of suoh common consumption. Io disturbs trade to a very great extent, to the great loss bf the oolony, and yoa will obstrv. in a car© of that kind that tte Government do net get tbe fnll benefit of any aeration, teoauee -.jnerobanta take, oare, from Belfish motives, '. hut whioh ere quite justifiable, to protect , themselves as far as tbey can. Whatever oan be Baid againat the property lax from other points of view, still it tas tbis merit, that it ia a tax precisely oalo-lated to meet flnota- . ations of revenues. A penny was required last year, and a penny was obarged ; but a half-penoy may te required next, year, and tbat will be imposed, and there will be no frioiion at all, which, of course, will be one advantage.. Now, I want to go baok to the nec-mity of publio sentiment in favour of > retrenchment. Create that £entitm_t for ft. full publio opiniop, and you will be able, in tbe broader een c I am speaking of, to rewench to suoh an extent tbat you will lie able to reduce the property tax, and vtry possibly abolish it altogether. It seemß to >< me that it is the most feasible plan. By the '■ : ~ one plan you would eleot candidates and : , -would degrade tbem to a certain extent, and you would, in my opinion, get no nearer your end ; in the other case what you have got to do is to flfcleot candidates, plain oommon sense men, who ht.ve a character for ecoaotny 7 and plain dealing, and absence of speoula- : tion," and put them in unpledged, and ; retrenchment, »f you. create ths recce- ' sary publio opinion, may be carried »■>■■■ out, and it will be much moro likely to lead -i1 ..t0 the attainment of yonr objeot in doing ' Sway with tho proporty tax certainly than ; the other plan of whioh I have apokeD. , v r/Oaeera.) In the one case I have expressed wysalf bb being of the opinion that the object ;i 'would not be gained, and the oharaoter of 7%Ue representative would be injured ; in the * other case the charaoter ol the representative

the objeot might poeibly not be obtained, there would be a very much betieg prospeot of gaining it. In the first oass, whioh I think would be futi c, of course I oannot promise to be of any assistance to you. In the second oaso I would be most glad to do anything in my powe., and il the time cornea when the properly tax may be reduced or abolished by any Baoh means, I should be ready to rejoice with yon. (Cheers). Do not think that I am .peaking for myself ; it is not so. It ii a matter of no consequence whether I am returned to the next Parliament or not ; but it is a matter of consequence tbat a high standard of representation Bhould be maintained. It is of eonf equence that you shou'd maintain for yourselves that oharaoter whioh you, in this distriot, have already acquired, snd it is of consequence, above aU things, that a healthy publio sentiment on this question and on kindred questions ehould be oreated and maintained. These are the thing, that are of consequence, and I pray you, as you have oommenced, and no doubt yoa have commenced, to continue on tbat course, aud look to the higher means aB likely to produoe the batter result. (Loud Oheera).