CO129-516-3 Military contribution of Colony assessmenet of contribution 13-3-1929 - 28-3-1930 — Page 61

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revenue and expenditure of the Colony for the years 1925

and onwards, They suspect that the revenue for those years was so much affected by the boycott and the dis- turbances in China generally that the comparison between actual yield on the present basis of assessment and that under the proposed alternative for those years is of very

doubtful value.

Generally My Lords feel that no sufficient case

is made out for over-turning the present system, which

has stood the test of time and has not worked unfairly, in favour of a scheme which is likely to cause the rent- tax percentage to be regarded in fact if not in theory as levied solely for the purpose of the military contribution and not as part of the Colony's general taxation system.

With the best will in the world the Colonial Government

might well find the pressure in favour of low valuation

to be irresistible.

My Lords understand that the Governor contends

anf

that the proposed levy of 12on rateable value is

roughly correct because, although it falls short of 20, of present gross revenue, it is considerably in advance

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