THE BURDEN OF TAXATION— THE WEALTHY TO BEAR IT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 20, 13 September 1873, Page 9

THE BURDEN OF TAXATION— THE WEALTHY TO BEAR IT.

Me Bunny, M.H.8., in a recent speech said :— "Now, Sir, I say that the wealth of the country ought to bear its burden of taxation. I should like to see the Customs duties confined simply to three articles —namely, brandy, tobacco and wives : income lax, which would effectually touch up those who are wealthy in the couutry, and whose wealth is increased through the carrying on of our large public works. If we will put our mode of raising our revenue upon such a basis as that, from year to year, as the country increases in wealth, that wealth will be able to buar a fur share of taxation. We should not allow n single person in the Colony to escape from bearing a fjir share of the burden of the country. We should not put it in the power of any person to realise thousands of poui-ds evory year from his property iv this country, and to say, ' I do not live in the Colony, and I can escape from contributing to the revenue.' We should touch up those owners of property — those absentees who do not contribute to the revenue If we do not, depend upon it. the couutry will take up the matter We will not be able to extract the revenue from the pockets of one particular class much longer ; the country will insist uyon the revenue beiug equitably raised, aud the burden of taxatiou fairly distributed Is it fair or reasonable that we should place our revenue in such a position, that upon every industry started in the country there is to be a falling-off in the revenue—that the more we make our country wealthy, the less our revenue will be ? If wo start a property and income tax we should have a basis which would last for all time for the purpose of raising as much revenue as the Colony required."