Taxation Bill Put Through Final Stage

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 804, 26 October 1929, Page 5

Taxation Bill Put Through Final Stage

MINISTER’S REPLY INDEPENDENTS VOTE “NO” Pi'ess Association PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Friday. By 43 votes to 21 the House of Representatives today passed the third reading of the Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill. The Minister, replying to the debate, said the small farmer had been put up by the Reform Party as a smoke screen. The Reform Party was prepared to fight to the last ditch on behalf of the moneyed interests. To meet any cases of hardship that might result the Government had provided a hardship clause and in that it was doing the right thing. NOT TO BE DETERRED If a Government took the narrow view of adopting merely popular measures its acts would be bound to react unfavourably upon the country. The Government was not going to be deterred from doing its duty because it would not meet with smiling faces on the part of those who would be taxed. In regard to mortgage taxation, if a Government tried to meet everything and everyone it would have to run the country without any revenue.

“The stonewall was called a great! fight put up by the Reform Party,” continued the Minister. “I think the proper term is a flood, and it was a flood of talk. I think we should compliment the Labour Party on the fact that it showed it had more sense of responsibility than the Reform Party." ONLY A DEMONSTRATION Mr. Forbes could quite understand a reasonable protest being made, but not to strain the Parliamentary institutions. What alterations, the Minister asked, had been suggested in regard to the Rill or in .regard to legislation? The Reform Party had sat for 33 hours in committee to delay the passage of the Bill. It | h a d after all been only a demonstrai tion on behalf ®bf the men who were i singing out loudest, the men who i should pay. The position had been summed up well by the Leader of the Labour Party. That party had assisted in every way to minimise any hardship that might arise. On a division the Bill was read a third time by 43 votes to 25. Messrs. Poison (Independent), Rushworth (Country Party) and Wilkinson (Independent) voted with the Reform Party against the Bill. Mr. Poison subsequently explained that he had voted not realising a pair he had given to the Hon. J. B. Donald was still in existence. Mr. Hogan (Independent) voted for the Bill. The division list is as follows: For the 8i11—43.

Armstrong McDonald Atmore McDougall Barnard MeKeen Black McPherson Bodkin Makitanara Broadfoot Martin Carr Mason Chapman Munns Clinkard Munro Cobbe Murdoch de la Perrelle Parry Fletcher Ransom Forbes Savage Fraser Semple Mawke Smith Healy Stallworthy Hogan Sullivan Holland, 11. E. Taverner Howard Veitch Jenkins YVilford Jordan Lye McCombs Against the 8i11—25. Ansell Massey Kitchener Xash Coates Poison Dickie Rushworth Field Samuel Hall Stewart Hamilton Sykes Harris Waite Holland, H. Wilkinson Kyle Williams Linklater Wright Lysnar Young Macmillan

INCOME TAXING BILL After the passing of the third reading of the Land and Income Tax Amendment Bill, the House turned its attention late this afternoon to consideration of the Annual Land and Income Tax Bill, fixing the actual rates of taxation. The clause imposing the special land tax was again challenged by the Reform Party, the clause being retained by 41 votes to 23. ‘The Bill was then passed.