LABOUR AND TABLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18771, 26 July 1924, Page 7

LABOUR AND TABLES.

MYSTERY OF; A OIfIOULARi. REQUEST BY ;COMMFSSIONERt WORKERS IN BUILDING TRADES^ Some: curiosity is felt Vint 'trade nrdoja circles as to tie reaaes tefeind a rcq«e?|t ; contained in the following circular letter from the Commissioner of Taxes which has bfcien received by certainunions connected with the building trade:—" I hate to ask you to be good enough .to furnish !me with a list, showing the full nanwis i and addresses of members of your »ni<jjn,for checking purposes. The information, is required under provisions of Section; 165, pi the Land and Income Tax Act;, 1923.7 . ' ; l ■ The powers with which the Commissioner, is aimed under the' section referred to app»ar to be very wide. TUi section sets out that "every person shall,, from time to time, as required by J the Commissioner, furnish in writing any iiii;formation or produce any books, or dotiuments relating to any land, income, iraturn, or assessment (including, lists ,of shareholders 6i companies, witlh y;tJaer amount of capital contributed/ by and dividends paid to each shareholder, aWd also copies of balance-sheets and of profit i and loss and other accounts), which «jay j be in his knowledge, possession, or don-i trol.'V .:■.■:..". ■.;■.'.•■.,::;;!,;-'! The- secretary of •„. one large Auckland union who had received a copy of '/the circular stated - that he bad not regarded the matter seriously, and in any case/he did not quite see why he should nijike a list for the (Commissioner pi the hundreds of men on the books of his union, ; as it would, in all probability, take up a ; week of his time. He IfurtbervremarlJied, j that although the unions kept a record] of the names of their members, they did \ not always have a full record of the iad- j > 'losses, and there was no statutory •! obligation upon unions to keep audit a record. He explained that prior to the passing of the latest amendment of jthe Industrial ■ Conciliation - and Arbitration Act secretaries of unions were called upon annually to supply a full lisl/df names and addresses of members to /the Labour Department, but this was hot now necessary. '. ■ j; " If thev are trying to get at thei-in-comes of the members," said this official, " the unions rannot/ help jfthem, as Jwe have no knowledge of the farhings of/the men. . There j has been a good deal] of nonsense talked about the enormous ejivn. ings of moo engaged in the building trade; but even if they enjoyed .continuous employment throughout the ijhoar they would contribute little in the way of income tax to the revenues of /the State. When allowance has been made for wet weather and holidays, it will! be seen that they must fall fur, short of;; the £300 fixed as the exemption from;, income tax." ■/■/ < % ' According to messages received from the South, some resentment has been expressed in Cbristchurch on receipt of the circular, one secretary in that/city "having stated that there was some reijuctrance on the part of unions to supply the information, and that doubts bad 'been raised as to whether the provisionii of the section cited by /the: Commissioner ifave him the power to demand- thfli information. It has also bean stated in Cbristchurch that• the attention of Labour members of Parliament b/ais - been <bjawn to the Commissioner's , circular [and tbey have been asked to take some action.;