San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-10
The Tax Problem Solved in Sweden. |

The Tax PFObIe R Solved In Sweden.
An interesting discussion has of
hate been going on among the officials
in New York relative to the besG way
of collecting taxes 1t is shown that
an immense amount OF personal prop
erty escapes taxation and consequent
y real estate pays the greater share.
Some OF the mOsGeXperienced tax offic-
iats advocate the abolition of personal
taxes, owing to- the difficulty of COL
lection, and the placing of all taxes,
or nearly alb, upon real estate,
which is always i'll view, and can be
readily grabbed from the owner in.
case of nOn-psyment. Ia an article
in the Forum, Mr.. J. W. Brooks des-
crlbes the GOhenburg plan, by which
the profits on liquor are made to take
the place of a large if not the princi-
pal part of the public taxes. The
New York Sun says:
A com 2any was established by the
reformers in 1865 to take over the
public house licenses as they fell in,
reserving the right to decide how
many should be made use of, and In
which parts of the town. The sur
plus profits were to be devoted to
public uses, bnt later reasonable In.
terest was guaranteed by the city on
the capital invested, and the whole
net proceeds were turned over the
community. The company began
operations in 1865, and Units existence
| of twenty-seven years neither director
nor share holder has received q cent
of profit, all gains going into the pub
lie treasury. The system has spread
| over Sweden and Norway, and in the
latter country, where in 1875 there
were but Is societies in existence, in
1859 there were 81. Innumerable diff
ficulties of course, arose from time to
time. The notifications and vara-
tions in the details of operation have
been multitudinous. The chief prin-
ciple, however, is to deprive individ-
uals of the strongest motive for slim
personal gain.
or profits that have accrued to the
communities through the disposition
of the profits from the liquor business,
Mr.. Brooks tells much that Is inter-
esting. For example, Bergen, town
of fifty thousand Inhabitants, has in
thirteen years received nearly four
million dollars, which, under the old
system, would have gone to the dis
tillers and private liquor dealers.
But this fact of the community bene
filing so largely from the liquor bust
ness constitutes one of the great dan
gers of the Gothenburg system. 1t is
greatly to the interest OF the taxpayers
to have the liquor sales as large as
possible, because this lightens other
taxation. This difficulty has been
dealt with in a variety of ways. In
n rway the Taxpayers interest is
m sde as slight and indirect as posi-
bic. The liquor profits are used as
far as possible in public improve
ments. The establishment of parks,
baths ,reformatories,t technical schools,
even improved workmen's dwellings,
are few of the things on which the
liquor revenue is spent.
At the same time Mr.. Brooks adj
mits the existence of serious Objec
ions to the Swedish plan. He does
not think the best hope 1t offers to US
lies in the actual lessening of sales.
Rather the system as compared with
the private selling gives . basis for
an aggressive and efficient education
of public opinion upon the liquor
question. He does not think the sys-
tenn could be introduced IN any of
our large cities. The "allisnCe OF rum
and politics" would stifle any effect
I've agitation of the question.