TAX ON FEMALES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 210, 5 September 1934, Page 6

TAX ON FEMALES

THE UNEMPLOYMENT LEVY 1 PROTEST AT ITS IMPOSITION MOTION OF CHAMBER Of COMMERCE Taxation of wages of f emale cmployves tor the sake of build, „g up State lunda lor relief of uavmploymcut X o ”w male Y 0 was criticised at the Wanganut Chamber of Commerce rcecung tost night, a diseussioa terminating with a motion of protest which is to be forwarded to the ri-ht quarter asking that the tax uot imposed on salaries and wanes of | temales up to and including r’ i.er week. - Mr. S. ,1. Goodey, who raised the matter, , ~d , 11;lt . everybody agreed that Men the country was i„ dire need ot every shilling it could get it wan quite lair to tax girls and Women, but when, the Gorerumeut was restoring mu.- and lemming taxation, the first thing ,t should have done was to remove the wages tax from all female workem. h,. , vas prepared to iuus, : tue Government be ask.’ 1t . taflb the tax uff. Female workers were contributing to a fund which thev could get no benefit from. Air- A. S. Burgess: There are some men wha do not benefit. Air. Goodey: Very lew. If a man cannot work he can ger sustenance. If he wants work it is offered to him. 11 is up to this chamber to take a lead in this matter. It will be taken up all over New Zealand soon. Air. Burgess: We must be quite fair when we suggest that it be done- Take the men in permanent employment, clerks, and so on; they are not likely to get any benefit from the fund they aie taxed to maintain. Air. Goodey: But if they are out of work the fund is there. Air. ,1. Williams: The strong point of Air- Goodey’s argument is that no female worker can benefit from the fund. It doesn’t matter whether she is out of work or not. Air. W. J. Gilberd: We should put a limit on the wages to be exempt, say £2 IQs. Mr. L .H. Holland: If we do take this tax off, what, difference in revenue will it mean? The males may have to pay a good deal more to make up for what is lost. Mr. R. L. Thompson (to Mr. Goodey): Have you any idea what the fall in ievenue would bef Air. Goodey: I have not gone into that, but it is a shame for an employer to take away from girls that shilling in the £. Air. Thompson: They are in work, and there is no reason why they should not. contribute lor those who are out of work. Mr. Goodey: Aly point is that tln-y can't benefit themselves, but men only. Mr. J. Goldsione: As the girls are < oniribut >rs io the fund, ask that they be brought into the relief .schemes. Air. Burgess; Thy Government has refused to do that. Air. Thompson: It is just, a question whether we haven’t got to ask th< girls to pay. It is a case of have toWe cannot vote on a matter like this until we know. Put it this way. A young married man getting £1 10s a week. Isn’t it inflicting a greater hardship by asking him to pay 4s 6d a week than to ask a young girl, who is not contributing much to her home, to find a shilling in the £? 1 say that tho hardship is greater on the married man. Air. Goodey: It is hard on the girl too. There me lots of girls putting by for homes of their own. Air. Burgess (to Air. Goodey): How do you know that the bulk of the people of the Dominion consider the tax on females unfair? Air. Goodey: They are. Mr. Bu.gess: How do you know? Air. Goodey: How do you know they are not? Mr. Burgess: I don’t know. I agree with you that 1 don’t, but that is what we want, to know1 • » say tii.it, the majority are against, it. Mr. Goodey: Against what? Mr. O’Toole: The tax on girls. Mr. Goodey’.; motion of protest, worded thus, was carried without dissent: “That the present unemployment tax on the wages of female employees is unfair, inasmuch as those who pay it cannot benefit therefrom, and that this chamber ask the Government to remove such tax on wages up to and including £2 per week at the earliest possible moment.”