UNEMPLOYMENT TAX.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20418, 24 September 1934, Page 8

UNEMPLOYMENT TAX.

Anomaly in Government’s Proposal. Foreseeing the creation of an anomaly in the Government’s proposal to exempt workers under the age of 20 years from the unemployment tax, the Xew Zealand Clothing Trade Federation has made a suggestion that the fairest method of taxation would be on wage and not on age. In this connection the secretary (Mr J. Roberts) has written to the Minister of Employment as follows: “In the clothing industry there is no fixed age for a girl to commence her apprenticeship and many girls begin at the age of 15. They are therefore journeywomen and receiving £2 Os fid before they are twenty j-ears of age. Under the Government's proposal they would pay no tax, but on the other hand girls commencing work in clothing factories from the age of 16 to 19 years would not complete their apprenticeship by the time they reach 20 years of age, and would have to pay the tax, although in receipt of considerably less wages than the girl who commenced her apprenticeship at fifteen. “We respectfully submit that the fairest method of taxation would be on wage and not age, and would further suggest for your consideration that female workers in receipt of £1 per week and under should be exempt from the unemployment tax, female workers in receipt of over £1 per week to pay sixpence in the pound unemployment tax. “ The federation is comprised almost wholly of female workers and represents probably the largest of our secondary industries.”