SALES TAX ON BUILDING

Southland Times, Issue 25746, 9 August 1945, Page 3

SALES TAX ON BUILDING

ADJUSTMENT WILL BE CONSIDERED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, August 8. Written answers to questions were debated in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The Minister of Finance, Mr Nash, answering Mr W. Sullivan (Nat., Bay of Plenty), who asked for immediate consideration of the removal of the sales tax on building, said the Government would give further consideration to the practicability of some adjustment of this tax when, as was intended, the whole incidence of taxation was being reviewed. Replying to a question asked by Mr J..F. B. Cotterill (Lab., Wanganui), Mr Nash said the Government had so far not adopted the proposal to call in banknotes of over £5 in value. The experience of other countries in this connection should prove valuable. In the meantime, said Mr Nash, the most satisfactory means of preventing evasion was to increase the inspectorial staff of the Land and Income Tax Department, the ranks of which had been depleted during the war. Steps had been taken to remedy the position and a progressive improvement could be anticipated in this respect. The Minister of Justice, Mr Mason, replying to Mr R. M. Algie (Nat., Remuera) said inquiries did not reveal an increase in the number of convictions for murder since capital punishment for this offence was abolished. It was not considered that the existing deterrents were less effective than the previous ones.

The Minister of Pensions, Mr Parry, answering a question by Mr A. G. Osborne (Lab., Onehunga) said an agreement on principle had recently been reached with the United Kingdom Government concerning reciprocity in pension benefits. The stage had now been reached for detailed negotiations and it was hoped that reciprocity would be established in the near future.

The Minister of Transport, Mr O’Brien, answering Mr W. A. Sheat (Nat., Patea) said exemptions from the speed limit regulations were granted ambulances, fire brigades, constables and traffic inspectors and Ministers of the Crown, and it was not considered necessary to provide for distinctive markings. Answering a question by Mr E. L. Cullen (Lab., Hawke’s Bay) concerning the use of DDT, the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Roberts, said the whole question of its use as an insecticide for orchard spraying was being investigated, and until official tests were completed it was unlikely to be generally used for this purpose. Should it prove to be dangerous to the beekeeping industry, the Govei-nment would have its distribution controlled. SALE OF WOOL Mr Roberts answering Mr W. J. Broadfoot (Nat., Waitomo) said the Government and the industry intended I to explore every avenue for the sale I of New Zealand wool, and discussions recently had been proceeding with representatives of the United Kingdom Ministry of Supply and Wool Control to this end. Plans were in prospect which would enable full advantage to be taken of every opportunity of sale in China and elsewhere from stocks of New Zealand wool and from current clips. Mr Algie, discussing Mr Mason’s answer to his question regarding capital punishment, said there was a distressing frequency in the number of crimes of manslaughter or murder, and the Minister, in shelving the matter under “convictions,” had side-stepped the issue. While no one could be dogmatic on the question of capital punishment, it was more important to protect the people than to punish the wrongdoer by capital punishment or otherwise. As capital punishment had been abolished, it might be necessary to consider the alternative of a majority verdict in such cases. There was nothing sacrosanct in a unanimous verdict in criminal cases. It was really an historical accident that had been retained in the jurisprudence, and one day the step might have to be taken to alter it.