Firm Against
pp. 35-36 · Read in the full issue
Tahitians Stand
Income Tax Plan
For the second time in less than seven years, the people of Tahiti have used a general strike to defeat a plan to introduce income tax and other taxes in
their territory.
THE general strike took place on December 29 when all shops, offices, business houses and cinemas in Papeete closed their doors, and all workers, employers and shop keepers in both Papeete and the districts ceased work.
Except that it was quieter, the strike was almost a replica of one held on April 29, 1958, to protest against an income tax law intro duced in the Territorial Assembly by the then-dominant RDPT— Rassemblement Democratiques des Populations Tahitiennes— an anti- French, pro-independence party led by Pouvanaa a Oopa.
Although Pouvanaa has since been exiled and the RDPT has been dis banded by law ( PIM, Dec., 1963, p. 13), its former members still have majorities in the Territorial Assembly and in the Assembly’s Commission des Affaires Financieres, Economiques et Sociales (CAFES).
Eight Voted For Taxes Since early January, 1965, they also have a majority in the Con seil de Gouvernement —the policy making Council of five members chosen by the Territorial Assembly and presided over by the Governor of French Polynesia.
It was a decision in favour of the introduction of income tax and other taxes by ex-RDPT members in CAFES which led to the general strike on December 29.
The eight politicians who voted for the taxes are: Messrs. Jacques Tauraa, Charles Lehartel, Pierre Colombani, John Teariki, Felix Tefaatau, Marcel Hart and Matani Mooroa, and Mrs. Celine Oopa.
The general strike followed several weeks of lively discussion among the people and in the newspapers on the pros and cons (mainly cons) of the proposed taxes, during which such slogans as: “Impots-Anti- France” appeared on the walls in Papeete.
Le Journal de Tahiti said the suc
cess of the general strike was a “shattering demonstration of the popular will in opposing the new taxes which the ex-RDPT wanted to include in the 1965 budget.”
However, the ex-RDPT actually backed down before the strike was held—their leader, Jacques Tauraa, having declared the previous day that the proposed taxes would not be proceeded with.
On the day of the strike itself, a meeting of CAFES, presided over by Tauraa, was held to decide on other ways of raising revenue in 1965.
These included non-ratification of a proposed regulation which would have reduced entrance duty (Droit d’entree which, in addition to Customs duty, is levied on non- French goods), on certain merchan dise; on in increase in droit d’entree on petrol; and certain other adjust ments in indirect receipts.
The general strike was scarcely over when a mass meeting of local public servants decided to hold a strike on January 6 and 7 as a protest against their failure to get
their salaries aligned with those paid to public servants sent out from France.
Discontent had been mounting for some time among local public servants following the influx in Tahiti of numerous much-better-paid te i. h P lcians ’ troops, sailors and officials for the Mururoa nuclear P r °J ect , etc.
The Government offered local officers pay rises from 10 to 25 per cent, but the officers set their sights on rises of 33 to 66 per cent.
During their two-day strike postal and telephone services were disrupted and a UTA plane was
delayed an hour over Customs clearance before it could take off f or l os Angeles and Paris.
The strike finished on schedule and did not manage to achieve anything concrete. In a debate on the Budget two days later it was proposed by one member of the Territorial Assembly, Mr. Frantz Vanizette, that salaries of local officers be augmented by 60 million CFP instead of the 40 million CFP proposed by the Government. This would have brought them more into line with overseas officers, The motion, however, was defeat ed by the majority.
The two strikes were followed by a spate of editorial comments in local newspapers and by com muniques by public and private figures who wanted to weigh in with their two centimes worth of opinion.
In between the two strikes, the Conseil de Gouvernement was dis solved on a censure motion and rearranged in what one dissenting member of the Territorial Assembly described as the “marriage of the carp and the rabbit”.
The new Conseil consists of three ex-RDPT members, Messrs. Robert Pea, Paul Tefaatau and Pierre Hunter; and two UT-UNR members, Messrs. Emile Le Caill and Gaston Flosse.
They were elected by 23 members of the Territorial Assembly who cast votes; six members abstained and the 30th member, Senator Alfred Poroi, was absent.
The Territorial Assembly met and finished off the Budget session in two days, January 8-9. They budgeted for a total expenditure of 1,324,789,000 CFP which allowed for increased expenditure on social services, and included 40 million CFP for increasing local public servants’ salaries.
New Strike Almost immediately, the local public servants went on strike again in a new protest against their failure to get their salaries aligned with those of the expatriates.
At the same time, they sent a telegram to Mr. Jean Sicurani, Gov ernor-elect of French Polynesia, who was due in Papeete in a few days to replace Governor Aime Grimald, informing him that their quarrel was with the Territorial Assembly. How ever, Mr. Sicurani would not have needed second sight to know that he would have a king-size problem on his hands the moment he reached Tahiti.
As it happened, Mr. Sicurani’s arrival was delayed by a family bereavement, and with no one in Tahiti with sufficient authority to make a decision on the strikers’ de mands, the strike dragged on for eight days. Meanwhile, Papeete, with its mail and telephone services at a standstill, was virtually paralysed.
Finally, on January 21, Mr.
Sicurani arrived—and within hours he and the Conseil du Government had agreed that a further 20 million CFP should be voted for local public servants’ salaries. With this assur ance, the strike was called off.
Next day, the Territorial Assembly unanimously approved the increase.