Taxation Reports

Customs Traps Them

"Coming And Going"

Territorians Resent Taxation Reports

rpHE misleading statement that X “New Guinea Pays No Taxes” is a cause of much irritation among planters and traders in Papua and New Guinea.

They well know that, while their incomes escape the tax-gatherer’s knife, they are caught, “coming and going”, at the Customhouse.

The scale of import duties on the ?oods they use, and of export duties on the products they sell and ship away, is more than equal io any likely taxation on incomes.

Two public bodies have been up n arms.

The Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce, angered by a Trustee ship Council statement that Suropeans do not pay their “fair hare”, while natives are taxed, has vritten to the Council pointing out hat the average working native lays approximately £l5 per annum, xclusive of local rates imposed; irhile the non-native (men, women nd children) have paid since 950, an average of between £llO nd £ll5 per head per annum.

A public meeting in Rabaul on mgust 29 formed a Taxpayers’ issociation to oppose the intro uction of income or company tax; nd elected a committee to raise Linds and fight any such taxation lans, by propaganda and ether ise. Europeans, Chinese and uronesians are represented on the bmmittee.

Mr. Dudley Jones, prime mover i forming the Association, declared lat any further taxation would ot only discourage private invest lent, but would tend to drive out ith capital and labour.