The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1893-03-25
TAX REFORM DEPARTMENT.
who Pays Your Taxes"

Ihere Is no greater Misrepresentation
In economics than the idea tina. 4sxc.
are PAID by persons upon whom they
're directly assessed. II Is this mis-
taken idea which works confusion In
ene farmers mind and causes him To
auVocate tax upon money and mort
cages and other personal property. II
rs his belief tnas by more str;ng.,.l
Jaws CT assessment more inouisitorial
oues OF search, he can make the
wealthy men of the cities paw their
proper proportion of tax. Upon this
OASIS also, the workmen computes his
own escape from tax by advocating the
ilgid assessment of the great CITY store
and warehouse
IL we We're to suppose that the taxes
upon personal Property were properly
'' .nat each merchant and man.
oiac."ser actually paid taxes on true
Naiuat,on of his goods such as the law
'euilres, the operation of the inexor-
able law of incidence would mako y
Just that much harder for the mechanic
the small trader and the farmer. The
great business man would simply lust
sniIt tnat much more to the Consumer
broadly, the matter may be stated
mus Every tax which makes trade
and production difficult Is added To the
expense of production and trade. and n
pad In the end by the consumer, and
consequently by the many for the few.
ne farmer, by attempting to tax the
trade and manufacture OF the city.
hnds himself paying the taxes in the
extra cost of cloth, machinery, and other
articles he buys, or in a check to the
~, reductions of prices of goods.
nc last consideration is most import.
ait AS production increases in effect.
aveness, prices of manufactured articles
should fail in proportion, and wages
should rise. 1t is the power of monopoly |
which comes in to prevent both of |
ehese desired results. 1t may be stated |
thus Monopoly to-day paws the
ninimum of tax, while nro-
onction and labor tby loss of
wages) pays the maximum of
tax, while the tax levied upon
production and trade falls finally upon
the consumer All taxes being paid out
of possible savings, it follows that the
MAN VINO consumes the major part Of
ms Income in living, pays the maximum
OF tax.
IN other words, all taxes levied upon
srade and production are shifted from
Snouiaer to shoulder till they rest at
sase on the man least able to bear them.
VINO has no special privilege and who
can not shift his taxes by arbitrarily in
creasing the price of the product of his
hands; that Is, the farmer and the
aabore1
Au direct taxation has this effect: and
that is the central lesson of the little bool,
edited by Bolton Hall, and published
by Putnam, of New York The farmers
should read the chapter by Thomas G.
Shcarman on the taxing of personal
property as set forth in the study of
facts IN Ohio. 1t is complete in its ,,
showing. of the failure of the present
system, which lets the city off with the ,
OF actual tax $50 far as the
'nonopciies are concerned), and fosters
system OF indirect taxation which is !.
directly burdensome to the working
man and the farmer. 4
The system advocated is the cxemp.
ton of personal property and the sub
stitution OF direct tax upon all privil-
eyes in land. The more money we have, !,
the cheaper interest will be; the more
houses we have, the cheaper rents will q
DC; the more unrestricted trade and =,
production, the lower will be the cost :
'f articles produced, and this without :,
owering wages; for with the exemp- :
ION OF personal property from burdens, r
productions will be enormously increas- =
d and demand for labor will give the :.
aborer the power to demand higher
wages instead of submitting to less;and
privileged monopoly will pay its taxes g
wish this little book could be read Il
~ the farmers and the workers every o
where. 1t is full of just the sort of in N
ormation needed to clear up false ideas II
bout "Who Pays Your Taxes?"-Ham- o.
in Garland, in the Arena. W