SALES TAX BILL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 178, 23 February 1933, Page 7

SALES TAX BILL

DEBATE IN COMMITTEE EXEMPTIONS REFUSED j Press Association.—Copyright. 1 Wellington, Feb. 22. —Urgency was | accorded the Sales Tax amendments j which were introduced iu the House I of Representatives to-day by Gover--1 nor-Goneral’s message, j The only case in which a division | was forced was on a clause actually i imposing the sales tax. It was retained by 43 votes to 28. Messrs. Veitch, Wright, Atmore. Wilkinson, Rushworth and Tirikatcno joining the Labour members in voting against it. The committee then proceeded to deal with the schedule containing the exemptions. Mr. E. ‘J. Howard (Lab,, Christchurch South) moved to add > biscuits td the .list, lint his motion j was. defeated ' by 3flj ;: Votes'to 26; An '.endeavour by the same member to inj elude confectionery was defeated by 1 41 to 27. Mr. Carr moved to include footwear; this was rejected by 41 to 29. Labour’s efforts to have various items added to the list of exemptions from the sales tax were continued when the House resumed at 7.30. Mr. D. W. Coleman (Lab., Gisborne), in moving that soap be added to the list, said he felt sure the Government had omitted it in error. 1 He was supported in his plea by Mr. J, A. Lee, who said: “The Bible has been exempted, everyone knows that cleanliness is next to Godliness, and I appeal to the Government to place soap on the list right under the appropriate item.” He trusted the Government did not want to relegate Now Zealand to the ranks of the great unwashed. The motion was defeated by 40 votes to 24. By 9.30 p.m. the committee had rejected attempts to include the following items iu the exemption list: Washing blues, by 42 votes to 24; crockery and cutlery, by 40 to 2G: all goods manufactured in New Zealand, 40 to 24; tea and coffee, 41 to 24. Replying to representations on behalf of all goods manufactured l in New Zealand Mr. Coates said the effect of such exemption would be to )7lace a 5 per cent, primage duty on | all imports in contradiction to the agreement made with the United | Kingdom to reduce the existing prim- j age duty. j ■ The Leader of the Opposition,. Mr. I H. E. Holland, pointed out that the! raising of the exchange rate was j emiivalent to a 15 per cent, duty on 1 British goods. ; The motion of Mr. W, E. Barnard (Lab., Napier) to include pipe tobacco in the exemptions was, discussed for some time. The motion was rejected by 37 votes to 20. Efforts to include currants, sultanas, stove brushes, enamels, polishes, etc.’ were similarly unsuccessful. The succession of Labour motions was interrupted by an attempt by Mr. J. A. Nash fCo., Palmerston North) to secure the inclusion of colonial cement, His motion was defeated on the voices. • The Leader of the Opposition moved to include ready-made clothes, and on this being rejected by 38 to 21 Mr. Langstone sought a concession with respect to native timbers. This subject was debated for 55 minutes, labour members contending that the effect of the tax on sawn timber meailt that the wages paid in converting the tree into the saleable article' would be u subject to the sales tax. The motion/, was defeated by 37 votes to 27 and a similar fate met Mr. J. O’Brien's (Lab., Westland) plea on behalf'of dredging machinery. The Bill was put through all stages and passed and the House rose at I. a.m.