VOTING ON THE PETROL TAX

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1930, Page 11

VOTING ON THE PETROL TAX

i . .. . ~. ? FARMING REPRESENTATIVE'S. When divisions were taken in the House of Representatives on-August-14 on the proposal to impose the extra tax on petrol the member for Stratford, Mr. W; J. Polson, did not vote. The proposal was to increase the tax from 4d .to 6d a. gallon, and Mr. R v A. Wright moved.an amendment to reduce the suggested tax from 6d to sd. The Prime Minister’s object in increasing the tax was to relieve the Consolidated Fund and the Public Works Fund of grants and subsidies payable to the Highways Board and the counties. Mr. Polson has now explained his refusal to vote in the divisions that were taken- on . the two proposals. He states that farming representatives in the House were prepared to support petrol taxation provided it was employed to reduce the burdens of the primary producers in respect of rates, but they were not willing to support a .tax which would, merely relieve the. Government’s finance at the expense of the farmers. Some of the country members, himself among them, found themselves in a dilemma. They could not support tne amendment to reduce, the tax because that would have meant voting for a tax that was destined not to remove a single penny of the farmer’s burden, out, on the contrary, to increase it. But if they voted against the amendment they must go on record as opposing, petrol tax, which most of them had strongly supported as the alternative to rating. The Parliamentary procedure gave them no opportunity to express their views by vote, so that at least three farming representatives had to abstain from voting and be content with merely voicing their protest.