The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1866-10-24
CONGRESS AND TIE FAHal-
I;iSS.

CONGRESS AND TIE FAHsI
l;iSH.
How Taxes have been Reduced
and the Producing and Laborln%
Classes Rclicvcl-.On which Side
the Interest Of Taxpayers Lies.
.s From tho Utica Herald.
The Internal Revenue for the fiscal
.year lust closed, amounted to $780,
S26. Sl3 ~. At the recent session
of Congress, the taxes were reduced
on tho schedule rs it 'bqs stood, to an
estimated amount Of one hundred
millions of dollars while the differ
once is to be made up mainly from the
tax on cotton. The reduction in tax.
cs is designated wholly for the benc-
fit Of the laboriny and tho producing
classes. For example, there IRE placed
in tho list Of articles exempt from
rcyeupo tx, brick, building stone,
glass, and various building materials,
all Of which arc required tor the con-
s,ruction OF the homes OF people in
city and country. So slaughtered an.
finals are exempt, and all agricultu.
raj products Except only cotton and
tobacco arc free from tax, nor is any
tax levied on railroad freights. In
this way everything the farmer pro.
duces is exempt from taxation, and
the charge Of transportation to mar
..ket is LETT free from Government duty.
The butter and the cheese, the meat
and the grain, pay no tax either on
the farm or on their way to tho con-
sumner. The amended law also places
MI fertilizers, all agricultural imple-
,nepts and all wooden ware in the free
list. 1t reduces the revenue on iron
from 81 70 to So per tou-more than
.oue.half, and piy.iron is made FREQ
How largely iron enters into the tools
and implements and machinery used
BY agriculsurists, wc need not state !;
for the obvious benefit to them in this
one reduction csd exemption is OF
great magnitude. Hcuce the farmer
Tor all that DO Erequires for the i'm
:provcment Of the soil, and for articles
especially adapted toshis uso in the
household, has little or no call from
::fhe tax ga,herer. Heretofore oil the
products Of tho farm consumed by the
! family, hayc been accounted as part
of Ito income and to 20 taxed as such:
.but the Thirty.niuth Congress has
expressly exempted such 1products 80
CONSUMED, from the taxable sche 4h6le.
All this is done in the, first year
after tho close of tho war. The$ncw
provisions went into effect on;the first
,6f August, so that they hnye hardly
begun: to be felt "a, get The reduc.:
.ction oftaxation to the farmer is very
: considerable, large percentage in;
''dsed OF tho sum he has heretofore
paid for internal revenue. The ad:
!: vantage accrues primarily to;those
;. who till the soil. But benefits to them
; arc benetts to all taxes upon them,
:, sfe taxes upon all. The reduction in
internal revenue, will in timc work
itself into reduction Of the cost OF
articles Of food and clothing to all
Classes. 49, ISL /.
Congress has already done as much
-,as it could in this direction. At lie
last session, tho tax on alt nspufac:
ture, was reduced from: six to five pet
: cent, or one.sixth Of tho amount
.hetetofore collected is deducted. On
ready.made clothing aud boots and
eboea, the reduction is still greater ;
Che assessment. instead Of si4 per
cont, is reduced to, two per. cent.-a
reduction oftwo.thirds, while altman
,ufacturors making orsclling less than
81, 0oHwortb'a ;sear are exeglps from
tax. These aro articles FUSED by
everybody, aud liberalization Of the
tax hers is. directly and immediately
FOR the benefit .of-the laboring and
81 the producing CLASSES. u ~:
3: These are ilIiSstions Of the meth
" DDS and principle ::adoptcd1by Con.
:, gress 10 the mater Of taxation. The
Union majoritY have steadily and
consistently sMven tomake reductions
as tar as the condition the treasury
will permit,apd to edjust-them all 80
:as t0rolieySfrst ofallthet farmer, the
einechaa;c sand the laboti6g and Tso.
ducir6 classes. In another year, il
rttHD Union: party preyails; astilliarther
REDUCTION. Of fifty milions- OF. dollar,
spey year will probably be- practicable,
! ;Shd 80 steadily for years to come areS.
s.salar, process Of diminpticn of taxation
3 in 10 pursued. ~,
10 however, the rebels. md their
8. oif6SS1 sYHPath izsrs SHOULD by any
bifity 6bta :c6htf6f 81 Congress-,
ETantt9 PaY, bonnsiiss slaPfa;
IN f6s g6nfed efste oldiers,t Will
& :. t ct 6sS Issrnl:s 4 demand IS ioiims.
!. 9: !: 4 & a shlissir