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RACING TAX FIXED IN TORONTO. As presented to the House last week the Provincial Treasurers bill to amend the supplementary revenue act by providing for a number of taxes on railwavs, stock transactions, race meetings and other things showed lack of knowledge of existing conditions in Ontario racing. Though no doubt meant to apply to horse races, the noble animal is not mentioned in the bill, and the running races might be between men or whippets, so far as can be told bv reading it. Apparently it was not known that at all the half-mile harness meetings throughout the Province there is usually one running race a day. The bill had two tlauses,- one dealing with trotting meetings and the other with meetings "at which there are running races." As the harness gatherings are really mixed meetings the effect was to class them all together, which was not Colonel Mathesons intention. This was pointed out yesterday bv a deputation representing the driving clubs of this citv and the Ontario Trotting and Racing Circuit, and the desired amendment was made. The deputation did a little better than that. too. It got the tax or license for these four-day mixed meetings fixed at the fiat rati of 0 a day. It had been graduated, reaching 00 for three-day meetings, with four-dav meetings not calculated on at all. The exclusively running meetings, lasting seven days, will pav 200 a day in advance. No distinction is made between meetings at which there is betting and those at which there is not. as, for instance, the Toronto Exhibition. The bill is purely one of revenue, and no particular reason exists why race meetings should lie selected for the purpose any more than baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, theatricals or any form of entertainment which the public pays money to see. At the same time It is true that if the Government needs the money there is also no reason why it should not tax race meetings rather than some of the other things. Toronto Globe. -
