Paye—And Like It

THE Fiji Commissioner of Inland Revenue has been sounding out the Colony’s feelings on the pos sible introduction of the PAYE (Pay as you earn) system of tax ation collection.

The scheme operates in Australia successfully and has also been mooted for New Zealand recently, but is meeting opposition from em ployers 'who would be involved in some further book-keeping.

Most wage-earners would prefer to have their taxation automatic ally deducted from their pay, rather than be faced with a substantial lump sum which must be paid once a year. There is nothing to pre vent a wage-earner from himself setting aside so much each week.

But how many can bring themselves to do it?

Under the system proposed for Fiji, employers would deduct a per centage of their employees’ pay cheques each month. The employers would then submit this amount to the taxation department monthly.

At the end of each November they would issue each employee with a certificate showing the year’s deduc tions, and this would be forwarded, together with the taxation assess ment notice.

The system would simplify the work of the taxation department but employers of labour would have to add to their office staff to handle the extra work involved.

Four Burns Philp and Co. Ltd. subsidiaries have increased nominal capital for internal expansion. Cap ital of Fanning Island Plantations Ltd. has been increased from

£40,000 to £lOO,OOO and of Kulo Plantations Ltd., New Britai Plantations Ltd. and New Hanove Plantations Ltd. from £50,000 t

£Loo,Ooo.