WAR TAXATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9095, 14 July 1915, Page 3

WAR TAXATION

WHAT AN IMPOST ON PACING MIGHT MEAN. / Referring, in his address to the Trotting Conference yesterday, to the present international conflict, the president (Mr J. Rowe) said that it • had been suggested, not by the Government, that a special and distinctive tax should bo imposed on pastimes. This savoured of burdening the willing. horses with a further heavy load. Nearly, every sports club in New. Zealand ihad provided soldiers for the Empire. Many clubs had subscribed very liberally to patriotic funds and devoted all the profits from their meetings. He maintained that a special tax should not be imposed upon any one class of the community. He had no doubt that those who were urging this matter along were directing their energies chiefly against totalise tor racing and trotting clubs. The suggestion had been mad© that the present heavy tax upon totalisator receipts should he further increased or that it should take the form of a deduction from dividends; ' This would conflict- with the policy of the Government as to the suppression of the bookmaker and give hinl an enviable advantage over the totalisator. As a result, totalisator investments would rapidly decrease, and the Government would lose a-large proportion of the revenue which at present is derived from the totalisator. The loss to the Treasury would have to he made up by the country. Originally the Government tax was 1} per cent. It was then raised to 2J per cent., and in recent years there was a further tax of 2i per cent, imposed. By the end of the present racing season, the combined racing and trotting clubs would have paid into the Consolidated Fund considerably over £IOO,OOO, and had voluntarily contributed £20,000 to the patriotic funds. He asked if it was fair or reasonable to load them with further taxation? The Board of Control of the New Zealand Sports Protection League had taken the matter up, and asked the branches of the league throughout the Dominion to oppose any special tax, but to bear their fair proportion of a general tax.