HIGHWAYS FUND

Wairarapa Daily Times, 12 March 1932, Page 5

HIGHWAYS FUND

RELIEF FOR BUDGET

A GREAT INJUSTICE.”

The comment that, if no loan money was available, the revenue fund of the Alain Highways Board must provide as much as possible for essentials, and that no part of this c-ould this year be made available for the relief of rates or of Government funds without doing a great injustice to the motor user and the general public by jeopardising communications, is in statements issued by the North and South Island Alotor Unions.

The considered and emphatic opinion of motorists is summarised in the following statement: — “(1) That as motor taxation has been increased enormously during the past two years of economic stress they feel that they have borne infinitely more than their share of the national burden.

“(2) The New Zealand petrol tax of 8.4 pence per gallon is the highest in the world, and some other class or classes of taxpayers should be required to bear any further demands made for the Consolidated Fund. It should he noticed here that the petrol tax in this country equals 17-1 per cent, on declared value and approximately 200 per cent, on an ad valorem basis. ‘* () In addition to the sums diverted from the Alain Highways Board’s Funds it must not be forgotten that the Road Fund has been used extensively to provide unemployment relief work. As motorists are directly taxed to provide unemployment relief we say that this results in double taxation.

“(4) The restoration of earthquake damage cost the board £400,000. This was, we suggest, a national liability, yet the motorists’ funds bore the burden. “ (5) Although the petrol tax has l>een increased from 4d per gallon to S.4d per gallon there is now available to the Alain Highways Board for reading only 3d per gallon, so that the road fund is now worse off than it vas when the tax was 4d per gallon.”