ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13857, 18 April 1917, Page 1

ACTIVITIES OF DEPARTMENT.

WELLINGTON, April If,. | Now that fhe income tax demands ail> nll °"t,-aiid all but the late comers have paid their taxes, complaints are being made by some farmers who find that their prosperous neighbours are often escaping scot free. These, men, • it is stated, have 'never fiiriiished re-' turns of their incomes, and so have evaded the payment of both the income ' taxes and the excess profits tax. The Income Tax Department is notIgnorant of the fact, that many farmers" who should have paid income' tax have not done so. A good deal of inforniai ' t>on has already been collected ■ about " these defaulters, but the staff of the cpnrtment, which is much below strength, has been unable during the ' present busy season to nla ; ke full use of the information. In diie time the do- 1 filters will hear from the Department, ftnd unless they can show cause why -' they have not supplied returns of theirincomes they will have to p'hy treble the amount of the tax due'by them,. This applies to those farmers who did not pay their income tax last year, as '' well as to those who are liable only for the taxes of this yenv. " ( Last )ear the farmers' income tax MS a new tax, and tlio Department 'missed a number of fanners in the col- L lection of it, Everything possible wiii be,done to remedy these errors, To get. the necessary informanon/tho Depart- ! niftUt is niakiiiqr use . 0 f couuty rolls an >j: dairy factory returns,'and it has alsov other sources of information, ;

There ore evidences of alarm already among the default,erg. Ono of them is that numbers of post offices no, receiving applications for forms. The practice hitherto has been to let,men who furnish their returns without beiiift asked for them pay the-tax,' plus the usual addition of ten per cent:for berak late in payment, and to'excuse them. of. payment of the penal cliargiv of treble the amount of the tax. !' {-P