FARMER FIRST

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 143, 7 September 1927, Page 1

FARMER FIRST

BENEFITS OF TAXATION REDUCTION FINANCE MINISTER’S PROMISE (THE SUN'S Parliamentary Reporter.) W ELLINGTON, Tuesday. If, as a result of the regrading of the taxation schedule, the Government is able to reduce taxation next year, the concessions willi go ;° t,le man most worthy of benefit in the present condition—-the man on the land. This is the man whom the Hon Downie Stewart, Minister of Finance, considers the most worthy of taxation remissions, and he promised the House to-night that if anything of the kind is possible next year the farmer will be the man to receive it. Any concession which would be made in the Customs tariff this year would not take effect till next yc;ar, he said, because it was customary to allow those holding goods a chance to get rid of them.

Mr. G. W. Forbes, Deader of the Nationalists: But any additional duties w'lll take effect immediately. i Mr. Stewart: Yes, that is necessary, it we can get this taxation on aiproper basis, and also get the tariff :.ut on a basis that meets with the approval of the House and country, I believe that next year we will be able to review the position of 'the various classes of taxpayer, and see if anything - can be granted to those who are tearing the greatest burden. Those who are most urgently in need of relief at present are the farmers. . o ?, e . ot . the . Problems to be faced in this direction, he continued, was the fact that exemptions from income tax left very few small farmers affected, while the question of localbody taxation had to be considered with Government taxation when dealing with farmers. If there was a general feeling that farmers would be better served by income tax than by land tax it would l>e possible to consider something on the understanding that the majority of farmers preferred income tax to land tax, but there was no unanimity upon the question at present, and the Government would be at a los;; to know exactly how the farmers themselves felt on the point.