THE WAGES TAX

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22776, 9 July 1937, Page 13

THE WAGES TAX

OPPOSITION BY WORKERS DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCE Opposition to the wage tax in any form was expressed at the annual conferenco of the New Zealand A\orker.s Union, held at Wellington. The conference discussed a remit suggesting that tho tax be abolished so far as wago earners earning less than £4 a week were concerned, but it was finally decided that tho matter bo referred to tho Federation of Labour, for . consideration.

The statement was made at the conference, according to the Standard, the Labour newspaper, that there was. a serious anomaly in the operation of the tax. Men employed under No. 5 scheme were exempted from the payment of the tax, so long as their earnings did not exceed the basic wage of £3 16s, while other men earning the basic wage or less had to pay the tax. It was a fact that many men employed on Stato forestry aiid other jobs did not earn tho basic wage. One speaker stated that the wage tax was one of the important sources from which the Government drew revenue.

The Hon. F. E. Lark, M.L.C., who proposed that the matter bo referred to the Federation of Labour, said that no worker should be called on to pay tho tax.