ANOMALIES ADMITTED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19129, 25 September 1936, Page 5

ANOMALIES ADMITTED

LAND TAX PAYMENTS STATEMENT BY MINISTER HAR DSII TP PR OVISIONS (Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. That income tax should he paid at an earlier date than January in respect of income for the year ended the previous March was the opinion expressed by iho Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, when moving the second reading ot the Land and Income Tax Annual Bill, an amending measure in the House of Representatives yesterday. An amendment contains a clause authorising the Commissioner of 'faxes to receive tax instalments in advance, and if there is any over-payment, to make the necessary adjustments when the lax rate is fixed. Several interjections from the Opposition benches showed that the question of hardship is regarded as important in connection with the revival of the graduated land tax.

The Minister agreed that there might he anomalies, and. in tact, he knew of some himself. There might be cases where there was no income, though a landowner was liable for land tax, but there was a hardship provision in the existing Act.

Mr. AV. P. End can (Nat., Parnell) : 1 have never known it exercised. CASE'S OF HARDSHIP

The Minister explained that the commissioner had power to remit the tax if he was satisfied that there was positive hardship on the taxpayer. His opinion was that if a person liable for land tax had no income there would he some justification for the commissioner remitting it. The Hon. A. Hamilton (Nat., Wallace) : Put that in the bill. The Minister; No; the commissioner must use his powers of analysis. He would, added the Minister, Call for details of the taxpayer and determine on the evidence submitted whether relief should he given. The Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates (Nat,., Kaipara): What will he the test? That he has no income for the year? The Minister: In any case where i( is shown to the satisfaction of the commissioner that a taxpayer suffered such a loss that the enforcement of (he full tax will entail serious hardship, the commissioner will remit the tax, wholly or in part.