The first act of the new Ministry in Victoria was to introduce the Budget. It is not a very prepossessing document, for it includes, all forms of new taxation besides, the Dug-bear of an estimated deficit of £1,867,000, The estimated ordinary revenue for the current year is £23,651,000; the expenditure is £25,018,000. The shortage of 1,867,000 is made up by general account £698,000 and railways }£669,000. To minimize as far as possible the loss upon the railways, it is proposed to refuse to license all motor vehicles of five seats from running for hire in such directions as would affect the rail-ray traffic. At the moment, from Melbourne to Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and other centres, motor vehicles are plying for hire and owing to their greater speed and more congenial method" of travelling, they out seriously into the passenger revenue which in years gone by went to the railways. Tt is also proposed to increase the income tax, but as the increase id. on' personal exertion Jof less than 2500 a year will be taxed relatively heavier than these
Jeheques has also been increased, it over £500, The stamp _daty, on now being twopence instead of one This year the Victorian State has entered the entertain ments tax field and intends collecting 3d. on all 6d. tickets and 6d. on all tickets over two. shillings. From this the sum of 270,000 is expected. It is remarkable. that in times of depression, as at present, the government of the country should seek to raise income from amusement. A leading citizen the other day proved to an interested audience that although times were hard and money dificult to obtain, unemployment rampant and strikes frequent, millions of people coild afford to pay admittance money. to theatres and picture shows, race Jcourses, coursing matches, and other sports meetings, until the average attendance throughout the year more than equalled the partaking of. amusement by every man, woman and child in the Commonwealth at least 60 times in the twelve months, Who is left unpaid so that Australia can. have its amusement is difficult to say. The loss on the Soldier Settlement Victoria is estimated at £417,000 and it is proposed to make this up out of income tax.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.