THE LABOUR PARTY AND TAXATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18686, 16 October 1922, Page 7

THE LABOUR PARTY AND TAXATION.

TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —Tii your fonlnolo to my letter iu> Saturday's issue you slate -that Mv Ilolland's proposal to make a levy on wealth for the purpose of reducing the national debt proves that (ho La-hour Party is in favour of increased taxation. 1 think if that proposal is examined a little further it will ho found lo he «. very businesslike proposition to produce the opposite. efFeet. The National debt —the ' war section of it particularly -is the most fruitful source of our burdensome taxation. Therefore, any reasonable and effective method of red twin ff that debt is, and can be, the only, way of reducing! taxation. , The i>resonf Government's land and income fax measure provides remissions o£ taxation to certain sections of the. community only, and moans no reduction in l.ho total volumes of taxation that this country has to find to meet ita obligations. It means merely that " whal is lost upon the roundabout is made .np on the swings.'' What the .rich will he relieved of tho poor will have to bear. If it lias to be consented. x lhat a levy on wealth is an increase, in taxation, then it will also have to be consented that the reduction of wages to civil servants was an act to increase the taxation of the civil servants. The attitude, taken up by the leading journals in the dominion on that occasion was that the position of the country called for sacrifie.es on tile part cf all classes, and that Mr Massey had done the right thing in lowering the wages cf the Ktato employees. Now, we, hope they will give the same supnort to Mr Holland in his efforts to lower the national debt. The Labour Party can easily prove that'tho position of the country still ca. Ha. for sacrifices, and at the ' cominnr general election tho public has the choice between two parties—one which believes that the "first cut'' should be made on capital and the other, which holds that the "third cut" should he made on wages.—T am, etc.. J. STEI'HKXS. Duuedin. 15th October [There has been no reduction of the wages of public servants. Bonuses were added to those wages to meet the increase in the eo*t of living, and instalments <>f those bonuses have been withdrawn as the cost of living has fallen.—Kd. O.D.T.] REVENUE UNDER PROHIBITION. TO THE EDITOit. Sin,—'Where will wo get our revenue if we stop the liquor trade? Exactly_ where we get. it from now, but throuuh different channels. Wo get it from the people now. Wo shall get it from the people then. Wo are quite certain also that) a much groaten revenue is likely to be derived from an en- | tirelv sober people than from a people including at least a percentage whose practice if) more destructive than constructive. The Government, takes care to get its bit of revenue out of everv nonrid soenl. Suppose that instead of £7.000X00 being spent on liquor it is spent in the purchase of necessities and comforU for home. wife, and child. The revenue would be coming in throir.'h as many ehanuols as the variety of articles that are purchased. Who is benefited by the expenditure of the seven a. result of such expenditure Is it then the case that the people arc impoverished as a result of such expenditure? Is it not wise to continue the expenditure of these l millions yearly? Is it not time the people woke up to see the folly of such waste? Is it not time the people elected to use this money to their own advantage, their own comfort, their own home? Moreover, m.inv who are now paying heavy rental would cease so doing for gradually they would put themselves into a position to buy their own home.—l am, etc., It. Raise.