TAXATION AND THE WORKERS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 15163, 6 October 1913, Page 6

TAXATION AND THE WORKERS.

The Hon. J. Duthie is in a fair \ way to bring-a storm about Ids' head by some remarks on the incidence of taxation which he made in the Legislative Council on Tuesday last, and which he has since amplified for the.Wellington "Evening Post." Mr Duthie, in protesting against the proposed increase of the graduated tax on companies, as an imposition unfair in its application, and calculated to bear heavily, on industry, urged that 1 the working clasps, whom the Government is seeid ig to relieve, are saved from all Ihe taxation they have a right to escape now. If members would examine the statistics of imports with the tariff they would tin d that the working classes, apart from luxuries, by which he meant tobacco, liquor, and perhaps some sorts of drapery, "did not. now contribute an amount at all equal to what they jrot directly returned in education, old age pensions, hospital and charitable aid, and so on-'' The result of a careful investigation had convinced him that the popular demand for a lightening of the taxation load on workers had no solid foundation in fabt. It is curious to find Mr Duthie making the same plea that the workers have been relieved from all taxation upon the necessaries of life which, till a year ago, was the proudest boast of .Messrs Ell, _ Laurenson, and other Liberal politicians. Now Messrs Ell and Laurenson are. on. "i the other tack. They believe that the working man is very badly treated by taxation, and till a fewweeks ago their worst complaint against the Government, which had been a year in office after the Liberals' twenty-one years, was that the burden on the workers' necessaries had not yet been removed. When the Government brings down its promised Bill to extend the Liberal reductions they will probably declare that it is only "tinkering" with the question. If the Government abolished every duty that bears directly on the workers, the problem of the cost of living, which presses on others besides workers, I would doubtless be a problem still to solve. No party is likely to solve that world-wide, complex problem in a hurry, though the community can help to solve it by endeavouring to live simply..