INCREASING PETROL TAX

Taranaki Daily News, 6 May 1930, Page 4

INCREASING PETROL TAX

ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROBLEM. SUGGESTION FROM WBAKATANE.. The construction and maintenance of roads to cope with the demands of modern transport is .becoming an ever-in-creasing burden on local bodies and various suggestions have been made with a view to securing relief for 1 ratepayers. At yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki County Council support was asked by the Whakatane County Council of a motion passed at a conference of delegates of local bodies of the highways district urging the Government to increase the petrol tax to a figure that would enable it to finance ail future maintenance and construction costs on primary main highways. Delegates, the Whakatane letter stated. had been unanimous that the heavy and rapidly increasing burden placed on county ratepayers of financing primary main highways had reached a point beyond the resources of county councils and that these should bo financed entirely by the road users. By-roads were neglected because, short of rating the farmer off the land,’ the county finances were insufficient to maintain both the arterial ’ and by-roads to a reasonable standard. " The petrol tax supplied a fast method of collecting a fair share of the cost from the. .users of the road, the delegates considered, and would place the question of road transport versus railways on a more equitable basis. They were satisfied with: the present method of administering the main highways funds and were: of opinion that an increased petrol tax would go a long way towards making for in the incidence of the taxes that financed reading. Councillors considered that this was a matter that could be dealt with at the counties’ conference. Mr. Hall remarked that once the highways were constructed the difficulty would be largely overcome. Mr. Thomas •. considered that any scheme that would entirely relieve ratepayers of the responsibility of the main highways would bo welcomed. Ratepayers could then concentrate on the byroads. Mr. Connett said the Highways Board had been increasing the subsidy from : time to time until in some eases £3 for , £1 was given. Mr. Thomas: It gives money in some ridings to pull up good roads and in ■ other cases the settlers have to travel . over unsealed roads. “ ’The clerk stated the benzine tax of ( 4d per gallon produced £802,232 per an- , num so the extra 2d suggested by some would produce £401.116. As the total county rates for 1927-28 amounted to I £1,670.627 -it would be seen that the j proposed 2d increase would represent ( only 24 per cent, of the rates levied. He j pointed out municipalities levied rates ( totalling £1,156,179 and they would not give up their share of the benzine tax r without a struggle. ■