COUNTY COUNCIL AND TAXATION

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 164, 13 August 1929, Page 9

COUNTY COUNCIL AND TAXATION

R. RICE.

. To the Editor. i Sir, — I no lice the Coimty Council had a very interesting discusision on tho proposed new faxation and jiassed a rcsolution protesting against it. Some b'me ago, when the residents of Westshore wanted the council to carry out a water supply sclieme, they were told il was outside'tlie function of the coun- j

cil — that their work was tlie maintenance of roads and bridges, etc., and yet it seems that tho very controversial and Dommion- wide question_ of taxation is part of their function. I am interested in farming and pay rates to two counties, but I don't want any rouncil to Btart squealing on my behalf. [f there is any squealing to he done 1 prefer tq do my 6wn. I doil't want to be used as a tool to save someone else's finaucial liide ._ Tliere are inany {.•ouncillors whose opinions on roads and bridges are worthy of respect, _ but whoso opinions on the very inti'icate question of tlie ineidence of taxation and the respcctiye merits of land anc> income tax are valueless, as tliey have never made a study of the subject. It is quite wrong for individuals on a public Ijody to use their posjtion to forward their own indtvidu'al iriterests. As far as I know the memhers of the council received no mandate from the ratepayers to exi>ress their views for or ngainst the taxation proposals. The liest thing they can do is to rescind the niotion at their next meeting, as they have created a bad preeedent, because if some member opened a dis- j cussion on the merits of the single tax ] ox fx'ee trade" v. protection, the chair- j roan could not very well rule it out of order. There is an old saying that the "Shoemaker should stick to. his last." If the council is hard up for somethin^ to do, Iet them natch Up the holes in the Westshore-Petane road, catch some of the speed-maniacs who use the embankment as a epeedway, or 'ebhstruct' 'a 'fbotnatlv-for the -benefft' ortlie residents of Westshore extension, but not use the council .bhnmber for iv1itif.nl riiiviinws T nfn. pfp .

Westshore, August 13, 1929.