The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1880.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 14 September 1880, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1880.

As might have been anticipated, the Government have not yet devised a schedule for the purposes of the Property Tax that is calculated to enable them to carry out their designs. We have lo3t count of how many times the schedule has already been amended in order to make it effect something which any schedule, however clovi'i'lvconstnicted, v. oukl be powerless to elt'ect. " The fact is that the tax is so obnoxious that even the Government, arbitrary- as it is. would fain adorn it so as to make it somewhat tolerable. The design of thesole measure of those who call themselves "Advanced Liberals" is to pry into the secrets of every man and woman in the Colony who is amenable to it. Everybody realised that, when its provisions became known, and nearly eveijbody in some way or other entered their protest. The outcry was too keen for these " Advanced Liberate," whose very friends began to express bitter regrets that they had not been satisfied with those Liberals who did 'not make professions of advancement. Seeing their stolen popularity in danger, the Government acted like paniostrickep mariners. "What must we do to save ourselves?" was the consideration that bnrthenefl their minds —not W hat can we do to render safe the "ship of State? Had they made shipwreck of their charge, they would have stepped out on to terra ftrma, and tiie devil might take the hirfdermost. Yielding to a breeze that proved far too potent "for their insufficient ballast, the vessel's bulwarks licked the water, as its living freight has licL-pd the dust whenever it has been necessary, from motives of policy. Is the tax inquisitorial ?—it shall be shorn of every vestige of such an objection. Is it unjust in its incidence ? it shall be remodelled. It might appear to reasonable beings that the provisions of the Assessment Act could not be carried out witlicitfc a nio3t distasteful and improper prying of, perhaps, unprincipled assessors into the affajrs of taxpayers. But that, said the Governqaept. was a mistake. No such thing was ever Intended. The Act said so ; but the Act was subservient to the will of the Colonial Treasurer, who only wanted the money—he was not very particular how he got it. The schedule,' whish was full of inquisitive inquiries, the answering of which was secured by pains and penalty *vhich would have amounted to confiscation in the case of poor defaulters, and which was at first dgejned necessary tc the administration of th(3 Act, has undergone dissolving-view like changes b.cforn the breath <>f public opinion. The yolujpe that was written by the DeputpCoinmissioner of Wellington to explain that the Act was not so bad as it appeared to j be, has.been written for naught. It was discovered that no ajnount of explanation would render it acceptable to the taxpayers, and the work of disintegration commenced. First, an attempt was made by the Government to allay popular dissatisfaction by exempting household furniture and personai effects. This was intended a3 a sop to tho wprkipg elapses. But as they, are not blessed with fumir ture and personal effects to a sufficient amount to bring them under the operation of the tax, they refused to be pacified. They very naturally urged that the Government, in making the additional exemptions, had been mindful of their friends.. They had no cause to fear the incursions of assessors, unless those officials wished to make themselves unnecessarily obnoxious, for their dwellings becoko.n the absolute impossibility of stowing away furniture and household effects to a taxable amount. The beer tax having been reduced from Gd to 3d, the Government made a virtue of their if they remain in power they must have plenty of money from withdrew their Property Assessment Amendment Bill, which left the matter as it was. But the distasteful schedule was still creating unpopularity for the Government —it was still rankling in the minds of the people. It was too precise in its nature. It necessitated a minute and detailed statement of hotr the total estimate was arrived at. Everybody pried out against it on this account, and the Government again repudiated any desire to make the tax unpalatabje, All tTiey wanted was the money, and, aa the people did not relish the inquisitiveness of thp Government, added to their acquisitive-! nets, au attempt was made to sim-1 plify tjie schedule so that the most | implicit reliance would have to be j placed in the honor of taxpayers, whol were virtually to-be their .own assessors. We now hear that " fresh difficulty have I arisen in making the form sufficiently pea.- j cise and yet brief and clear, and the j matter is still updar the consideration of the Government and law officers." Just so. The fact is the Government does not exactly see its way to administering the Act without it is a3 arbitrary, inquisitorial, and in every respect as obnoxious as it was when it was first introduced. Yet they wish to avoid the unpopularity that would ensue were they to retain the spirit of the original schedule. We shall see how the Government will act under the distressing circumstances in which they are placed. That they will give another shuffle we hare little doubt. The Colonial Treasurer will, unless we are greatly mistaken, so arrange as to receive the estimated amount, whatever jpay be the shifts to which he may be compelled to resort.