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History of New Zealand. Vol. III.

13. Land Tax

13. Land Tax.

Land Tax is at the rate of 1d. in £1 on the value of land, less improvements and mortgages, after deducting an exemption of £500 on estates of an unimproved value of £1500 or under, and a gradually diminishing exemption up to £2500, when the exemption vanishes. (Mortgagees are taxed as if holders of land.)

Graduated Land Tax, in addition, on estates of an unimproved value (including mortgages) of £5000 or upwards. Rate of tax is graduated, commencing with ⅛ penny, and gradually increasing by eighths to a maximum of 2d. on properties valued at £210,000 or upwards. (Absentees pay 20 per cent. additional.)

(a) Land Owners in New Zealand
Percentage.
Paying tax 12,360 13 ½
Exempt from tax 79,141 86 ½
Total 91,501* 100
(b) Value of Private Land
Without improvements— Acres. Percentage.
Taxed 48,480,000 53
Exempt 5,947,175 6
54,427,175 59
Improvements 37,943,991 41
Total 92,371,166 100

(c) Land Tax Payable 1893–4—

Ordinary £202,000
Graduated 83,000
Total £285,000
page 452
(d) Cost of Collection (average)—
Per £100 revenue from Land and Income Taxes £4 18 6
(e) Occupations of Taxpayers, 1892–3.
Ordinary Land Tax. Graduated Land Tax. Income Tax.
Designation. No. of Payers. Amount. No. of Payers. Amount. No. of Payers. Amount.
£ £ £
Professional — clergymen, lawyers, doctors, authors, editors, engineers, surveyors, and architects 449 6,612 42 755 652 6,153
Civil servants, officers of local bodies, teachers, &c. 173 773 5 10 391 1,498
Retired professional men, merchants, and others 154 6,610 45 1,660 89 692
Merchants, importers, warehousemen, contractors, &c.—firms 92 2,603 22 243 111 8,383
Merchants, importers, warehousemen, contractors, &c.—persons 300 5,770 56 1,306 127 2,010
Tradesmen, wholesale and retail shopkeepers, storekeepers, carriers, &c. 1,251 6,182 41 204 558 5,592
Working storemen, mechanics, labourers, shepherds, miners, sailors, &c. 220 474 2 7 29 62
Manufacturers, brewers, millers, founders, sawmillers, shipbuilders, &c. 170 1,697 19 175 139 2,280
Graziers, sheepfarmers, farmers, dairymen, &c. 4,760 60,203 766 28,015 97 1,123
Land, commission, or general agents, auctioneers, accountants, brokers, commercial and other managers, clerks, bookkeepers, master mariners 397 4,220 35 323 914 6,112
Widows, wives’ trustees, spinsters 1,837 13,574 57 689 58 483
Other trust estates and estates of deceased persons
1,522 33,455 210 6,738 26 362
Absentees 784 21,053 114 4,109 20 139
Companies—
Banks 6 4,596 6 2,512 4 3,076
Life insurance 6 6,771 6 446 8 4,573
Loan 30 26,567 14 2,700 15 1,656
Land 19 16,579 13 15,232 3 396
Mercantile 36 4,850 9 492 84 10,960
Manufacturing 23 1,832 8 463 44 5,254
Manufacturing and mercantile 15 1,495 5 791 21 3,336
Mining (coal) 6 92 2 8 7 1,325
Mining (gold) 23 2,735
Fire and marine insurance 9 2,631 3 221 28 5,427
Building societies 37 1,968 1 19
Church property—
Corporation and trusts 64 1,974 10 762
Totals 12,360 232,581 1,491 67,880 3,448 73,627

* Equivalent to 53 per cent. of adult male population.