EQUAL SACRIFICE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16311, 13 August 1917, Page 2

EQUAL SACRIFICE.

MR W. NOSWOIITHY ON WAR, TAXJisj. Speaking in the Budget debate in the House on Friday evening, Air "U . Nosworthy, M.P. for Ashburtoii, strongly advocated that all sections of the community should do their share in financing this' country's part in the war. He particularly advocated the taxing of motor-cars, spirits, etc. The Mar was being fought on behalf of every class, he snid, and taxation should be spread over every section of the community in order they ,-.11 might know they were assisting. There was a very large section of tho House, he said, which took up the attitude that the man on the land was the only man in Now Zealand who had made any money. He admitted quite frankly that men who had, through fortunate circumstances in the past, been able to secure wealth, had through the war been able to accumulate more capital by tho increased prices of wool and produce. Ho had no sympathy with the land speculator, but the man he had in mind was the one who stuck to his farm year in and year out, in good season and bad season, with the ooiect of producing as much as ho could. The men who had made money in this war were the middlemen —the speculators. They were the ones who had ?>eon making the profits since August -4th, 1914. There was nn question tljot it was the middleman who levied tiie ■tribute on the people of this or any othe'- country, and he was afraid the Budget was not going to tax him severely enough. Everyone should pa.v something in the way of taxation, but the- great majority of the people were not asked to pay anything. Prior to the war tho only taxation paid by nine-tenths of the people was indirect throuirh tho Customs, etc. In 191314 the direct taxation was £2,543.693, and the indirect taxation was £3 oGfi.TSn. In 1910-L7 the direct taxation was f0.G74.2i9, and the indirect :C4.0?7.025. nn increase of direct taxation of £4,130.05fi, and or indirect taxation of £JP3.S43 — an increase per cen*age of 102.4 in direct taxation, and 13.6 in indirect taxation. Tint went to show that the land and income taxation had been_ greatly increased, and that tho taxation on Customs had gone up very little during the. war. If (lie Minister of Fimwioo had to ask thc House next year for a loan of twontv millions sterling, he would find that tho Customs taxation would have

to be increased. Great Britain had imposed a, duty of one shilling on tea, and there had been no complaints, and the Minister of Finance- was noting quite rightly im proposing to impose a tax of threepence on tea. The system of taxation should be on a man's income and not on his capital at all. A farmer should not be taxed on his mortgage and equity as well. There should be a progressive land tax on the equity and none on the mortgage. There should he a further graduated tax on incomes of £6400 u£nwards. It was these very wealthy people who should be taxed. A great many members of tho House thought the same as he did in this respect. If it came to that point in the war when it was necessary for their capital to be taxed after their income bad gone, he would say take every shilling that a man possessed, if it meant the winning of the war. Mr Noswcrt-by urged the placing of a heavy impost on motor cars, the taxing of cigarettes, the doubling of the present duties on beer, wine and spirits, and, in fact, the heavy taxation of all luxuries. He would make all sections share in the payment of taxation these days, whether they liked it or not. "It is not an equitable thing, 1 ' he said, "to tax debts when you hare luxuries untaxed." I