Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-04-19
gbe Obio' Gtates,n,ran
The Tax Bill.

| |'.H y ''N'"A A0euinB hepuDllchI
paper:
THE TAX DILL--NEcR5sITY OF RRyIsIoH
The House Of Representatives has rid ltaeI
OF tho labor Of revising and perfactlpo the IA,
Dill BY sending 10 to the Senate How far IN,
latser poay will conceive IL proper to alter radi
Sahy "pill for raising revenue" originating
iegaiy IN the popular branch, we cannot for eteli
pue ID certain the measure is very far from
Per'ec'; ano We should not be surprised II, leay.
ny ony 'no framework standing, the Senate
were 70 replace tne manifold subjects of taxa.
profitable sources of income, Time ia certain.
~ short. There ia still time, hoveyer. 10 hor.
row wledom from the veteran experience NJ
the act. r"'''''"' VI
Taxing" said Burke, 'ls an easy busip ets.
any protector can contrive new impositione. anv
Dungler can add to the DID," Probably manv II
those whose attention has been called 20 tbIs snh-
)ect during the last few months, have IA lien into
the error indicated by this remark OF The EpgjIsb
statesman. A simple and easily comprehended
political economy has taught them that taxes
snould DO imposed equally on all articles ex-
cePt the particular one In which they are espec-
aily interested, and to make this let of articles
exhaustive, and the rates equal, is therefore the
anoie laoor OF the legislator. A moments re-
nection, however, will tell one that 20 prepare
ah equAD,e tax--Which is the only proper tax
Eis -, TASK Oh the utmost delicacy, requiring In
lis iramer pTehenaiyeness OF Iptelleos To
anticipate remote effects, and contingent difi.
oulties, as well as breadth and ,nin1teness nj
knowledge rarely found in single man, and
seldom found In any one aaeembIage of IegIsla
tors. IL 10, In fact, much to be doubted whathe-
system ot taxation adapted TO the wants of
people unaccustomed to taxation and approach
Ing even approximately to equality, can he oen.
Grated at once ab 600 by any body Of men. how.
ever patriotic and sagacious. A tax must he 70
certain extent an outgroWth of the character
and resources OF the people The different
systems In use In the several European States
CONFORM to this rule, growing up slowly subiec,
To constant change aud Improvement.
Inc English Excise, which most resembles |
our own was for nearly six years after its in |
PRODUCTION under continual modification, before !
IL took the comparatively fixed form II has e. |
talne1 ior tue last century and half. It ad- |
J1sted itseit 10 the babis and wants OF the peo-
pie. Any tex bill which this Congress car mass
must be, therefore, to a certain Extent. mereIv
tentative There are somo mistakes, boweyer. |
Wnicn need not occur, and which Ia final re-
VISION OF this bill should be specially guarded
against. Reference has been made In a preyi-
Gus Gus Issue to the third rule of Adam Smith,
"tnat every tax ought to be levied at the time
or IN the manner In which it Is most likely 10
pc conveniens Tor the contributor to pay il.n--
Sui! more important is tho fourth rule; "Ev.
cry tax ought to be so contrived as both 10 take
out and keep out of the pocket of the people as
nttle as possible over and above what it brings
into tue treasury of the State" Under this
neao talis any unnecessary increase in all that
CLASS OF expenses which 20 to pay simply the
coat OF collection The proportion of these ex.
pensee 70 the total amount collected, is extreme
y variable and different in almost every State. |
lnrrance tney have sometimes risen to l6 per
cent Oh the entire revenue OF the State, and
lave u. Deen Ia the past uniformly nearly double
the expenses for the same labor In England II
The most common, though least obyIous, wav of
lncreaeing these expenses, Is by MULTIPLYING
minute taxes upon Insignificant objects. In |
England In 1889, there were three hundred and
lorty-nine distinct articles subject to taxation,
producing less than &lOO per annum, or an ag- |
gregate OF only E5,O5O; one hundred and thir- |
SSs.oonno ARTICLES producing between Gl00 and |
1ouu per annum, or altogether G3l, ,629, Nine |
Iy-eight and tWo-ffths per cent. of the whole
lax was derived from forty-six articles. The
'ost OF collecting these minute taxes more than
consumed the whole revenue derived, the peo. |
yle IN tne meantime suffering the loss occa-
'loned oy the needlessly increased price Of the |
Aracles From this fruitless source of expense |
we should at least be saved. 1t should be the |
care oi' Congress in this last revision of the
!sx pili 70 look closely and see If any articles
,, tnis kind have crept into the list. The peo.
'ie are willing TO meet all the taxes necessary
o carry on this war and lessen the public debt, |
'ut no eqlaliziDg spirit, no fictitious sense of
ostce 70 the different sections of The country
mould lead to the imposition Of useless bur
lens; laying on multitude of minute objects
axes which are deyoured by tho very act Of
heir collection.