The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1880.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 560, 4 September 1880, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 1880.

After many delays; the Property lax returns will hove ■at last to b! filled in. Many persona have ahead; made their returns, and they probablj will-be. .duly informed whether i will- be* necessary to- make a -secom statement'on the new schedules .TO v understan.d,are ;abqtrt* to; be jit jonc •printed and circulate! dules are to be precisely the same as th old j ones, excepting that they will b simpler and less inquisitorial;. The pei sonal effects which it was proposed't( eliminate from the schedule are stil retained, as the Government,' at thi last; moment, found that it oould 110 afford to make any exemptions, Til doubts and delays which have attendei 'the'bringing into power of this Ac must be very prejudicial, in more way thai one, to the colony, Wo havi been kept in a state, of suspense fo the last three months, as to what w should do, and what we would have t pay, and a good deal of the revenu will; be absorbed in unnecessary expen ses. Somethousandsof poundsmus'thav been spent in printing and circulating useless forms, and many more will b required for the extra labor throwi on the department by the vacillatioi of the Ministry. The cost of collectinj the tax must .be under any oircum stances heavy, but under the existm state of tilings it must be simply enoi mous, We have always been opposei to it, because it entails the permanen establishment of a new Civil. Service which will number, probably, over 501 persons. It will not only take th money but of settlers' pockets, but it intricacies, as exemplified in it schedules and its procedures, will ta: their time and patience still more; I will be like a millstone round the necl of the colony till financial • exigencie permit its removal, It is a cui's entailed upon us by our mad railwa; ventures, and it would be far bette for New Zealand to sell or let its rail ways—wash its hands of them altc gether—than to keep up a Propert; Tax to pay interest on them. Wen the Government'to sell or lease ou: railways, it could do without the Pre perty' Tax altogether, Our railway even now are badly managed, and a long as they remain in the hands c any Government the abuses connect® with their administration will mak them unprofitable. New Zealand ha too many white elephants, and we ar too heavily taxed for their mainl enancc Under the Property Tax which no\ . has to be collected every iuducement i offered for fraud and chicanery. Sa; A and B possess furniture which, i sold by auction, would realise' respec tively £IOO. A and B should, according to Act, estimate their furniture in thei returns at that sum. Supposing tha A is conscientious and B is the reverse will each pay on £100.? The proba bility is that A will pay on £l5O, am B will pay on £75. A will say, Th fdrniture cost me £2OO, and I canno ! honestly put it down at less than £ 150 , B will be his own auctioneer, am [ knock his furniture down in one lo i for cash at £75, and all the assessor, and commissioners, and sub-commis sioners, and clerks, and Boards o . Reviewers, and receivers and collectori ■ and other persons who constitute thi official army of the Property Taxdepart ment will not make him pay on i farthing more. The Recording Ange will have a busy time of it.in New Zealand during the present month,