The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-01-10
AUSTRALIAN TAX system
REPORT or TT FOR THE STATE
OF COLORADO.
Chairman of the Colorado Tax Commits
sion Strong i'm His Praises of a Sys-
tenn Operating i'm the Colonies.

tenn Operating in the Colonies.
In a recent article discussing the re-
port of the Colorado Tax Commission
which has just been published, Joseph
Leggett writes as follows:
The chairman of the Colorado Tax
Commission, Senator James W. Buck
lin, of Grand Junction, has made his
report to the Commission, and his re-
port, with that of the Commission, has
| been printed for presentation to the
Legislature. The members of the Com
mission, by the resolution providing for
/ their appointment, were Instructed to
Investigate the tax laws of New Zea-
land and the Australian colonies and
the effect of such laws
Mr.. BuCkln was deputed by his col
[ leagues to visit the AuStralaSian colo
MES, and did so during the winter of
1S99-l9OO He sailed from San Francisco
November 20, 1899, and arrived
there on his return in the early part
of the following March. Since that
time he has been busily engaged in the
preparation of his report. 1t makes a
document of fOrty-eight pages, and is
the most valuable contribution to the
/ literature of practical taxation yet
made.
In his preface to the report, Mr..
I l5uCllin says: "All that | claim for
this report is strict accuracy in detail
ing facts, and that the conclusions
drawn therefrOm are conservative My
hope is that the American States, and
first of all my own State of Colorado,
may likewise find relief from intoler-
able fiscal and economic conditions by
adopting the rational system of taxa
ton which has been so successful in
the pro reSsiVe colonies of Australasia
I a n he
travelled more than twenty thousand
miles, and of the manner in which he
was received at the antipOdes he says:
Il cannot speak too highly of the great
courtesy and kindness with which l,
as a representative of Colorado, was
everywhere treated by the people and
officials of Australasia"
In four of the seven colonies of Aus
tralasia Mr.. Bucklin found in practi-
cal operation a tax law, different
from any in America, which, owing to
it's extensive adoption, prospective eX
tension, and radical departure from
other methods, may properly be called
the Australasian land value tax. 1t is
law taxing land according to it's
value, excluding all personal property
and improvements In New Zealand
there was enacted, in 1896 a law which
permits municipal bodies to determine
by popular vote whether or not they
will exempt personal property and i'm
prOVementS from taxation, and raise
. all local revenues from a tax on land
values. South Australia has recently
enacted similar law, and the Ministry
of New South Wales has just introduce
ed a bill to adopt the same principle
Queensland passed a law in 1890 which
makes it compulsory upon local gov
eminent bodies to raise all their local
revenues by a tax on land values. South
/ A1Ontp6 nrinpinla nf
value taxation in 1884, Queensland in
/ 1890, New Zealand in 1891, and New
South Wales in 1895.
! As to the practical working of the
| system of land value taxation, Mr..
| Bucklin reports: THE operation of the
| Australasian land value tax has al
ways been satisfactory after it's effects
We're once known, as is shown by the
following facts: There has been no eff
! fort to repeal it, but, on the contrary,
/ it has been extended and improved as
| soon as it has come into operation in
any degree, in any colony or locality,
| all opposition to it ceases, and it is
/ then accepted even by the conserva-
| tive parties, as a permanent institu-
| tiOn the people of the colonies never
vote against it nor against those who
are identified with the principle estab-
| lished; it has extended from colony to
| colony, and from state to municipal
] dlldlIS, after the IIldl Oh numerous QUIZ
| err revenue schemes" And he adds:
MY conclusions are, after careful OBJ
| SerVatiOn and the most minute and
| painstaking examination of all data
which / could procure, that the Austria
lasian land value tax is the best fiscal
measure, and the greatest fiscal sue
cess, ever adopted by any country OF
community"
Some of Mr.. Bucklins facts are very
striking. He says: THE excess of
arrivals over departures for the three
years since the passage of the land tax
bill We're, in New South Wales, 5,159
While in the adjoining colony of Vic
toria, which had about equal popula-
ton and resources, but did not have
the Australasian system of taxation
the emigration exceeded the immigra-
ton by 50,4O3" OF New South Wales
he further says: "There has been ar
increase of cultivated lands of 905 So
acres in the three years Immediately
following the adoption of the land tax
being an increase of more than fifty
per cent over the entire amount pre-.
ViOusly in cultivation in the colony
Crime of all kinds has also largely de-
creased since the adoption of the law
The numbers of registered unemploy
ed for the four years preceding the
adoption of the tax We're 1860, 12,l45
13, 575, and 14062; for the three years fol
lowing its adoption the numbers Were
6,427, 4167, and 3S43. And this not
withstanding the fact that the las
three years of unprecedented drough
the colony.
In New Zealand, for the four year,
+ preceding the adoption of the tax, tn,
excess of emigration over immigration
was 1879; for the two years imme
! diately following it's adoption the eX
cess of immigration over emigration
was 1870.
} From 1891 to 1898, the cultivatet
lands of New Zealand increased $500,
091 acres; sown grass lands increase
3,27S sol acres; and the value of i'm
proVements increased $50, 100000.
The great bank panic of 1898, whic'
closed thirteen Australian banks, wit
liabilities of G516576,O7O, did not clos
: q sinmln hank in Now ZaalAnd or SCOUT