SALES TAX

Southland Times, Issue 25306, 8 June 1935, Page 6

SALES TAX

REPEAL URGED CHAMBERS OB' COMMERCE RESULT OF BALLOT (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, June 7. The result of a postal ballot among its constituent members on the question of the abolition of the sales tax was announced at a meeting to-day of the Executive of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand, the majority of the opinion being in favour of pressing for the outright abolition of the tax in view of its undesirable nature and of the fact that the yield from it had greatly exceeded the estimates. The executive accordingly resolved that representations be made to the Government as follows: “That the multiplicity of taxes is burdensome to the community, and particularly to the traders; secondly, that with a view to reducing the number of taxes levied, the sales tax be repealed; thirdly, that if, as a result of this repeal, additional taxation is necessary under another head, this association has no objection to an increase in other established sources of taxation.” ». The president, Mr A. H. Allen, remarked that the resolution did not mean that the association was inviting extra taxation as. a corollary to the abolition of the sales tax. Some chambers had given ■ as their opinion that the Government should, by economies and by the strict control of expenditure, be able to remove the sales tax without imposing taxation under another heading. Also, the majority of opinion was in favour of the complete abolition of the sales tax, and not just a reduction in rate of the tax, as the cost and trouble to the commercial community who were collecting agents to the Government would be just as great.