The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-12-30
fRla { HOVE. Editor and Publisher



nE plea Dor equal taxation OF travel
'..aanR whether horse OF motor car.
a presented by the Newport Express
and Standard and is worth consider
me- one not prejudiced In the
cause can hardly see wherein the law
taxing automobiles Is exactly right or
asf They have come 10 stay with
ua and therefore should be entitled TO
De- same rights Of The highway as the
horae What is the difference
Rheihor a man owns an automobile or
a horse. provided he pays a highway
faNl Why isn't IL just as reasonable
'o TAX The horse according to its value
Tor using the highway as the automo-
Ollie according TO It's horse power?
Because the horse was first. don't give
BE- an eternal claim 10 all rights OF the
highway hy any means. So far as the
highway is concerned both should be
uui on an equal basis"
The trouble with the Newport pa
is- argument is that It has little or
nothing TO do with the real merits of
the case. Nobody is questioning the
privileges Of the automobiles or their
rights Of the highway. The member
from Bennington and some others, to
bis certain knowledge. voted against
he bin not because the tax proposed
s unjust. but because the basis on
which the tax Is levied is such that
"a high priced car will be compelled to
ay no more tax than one costing less
han half as much. provided the two
are Of the same horse power 1t is
citing the rich man with a $4,000 car
ascape his share OF public burden by
paying no more tax than man OF mod
crate means who buys an automobile
NJ from $500 to $4,000. For this rea-
on the bill is unjust and ought not
10 become law
The bill is not unreasonable in its
application to owners OF low priced
or moderate priced machines, but the
owners Of costly cars. always men
ven able TO pay taxes, should pay
more II the owners OF the cheaper
ears are to pay so much. The tax on
machines OF moderate cost is no more
and In many cases materially less
than their owners would pay II the
cars we're put into the tax lists Of the
several towns where the owners re-
side az legally correct valuation.
The Express and Standard loses
sight Of the fact that at present hor-
SOS and wagons bear their fair share
OF tax burden while the automobiles
IN the state are practically escaping
taxation through one dodge or an
other Where they are in the list at
an they are placed there at such a rid.
lculously low valuation that the towns
get little or nothing from them in the
way OF taxation. For this condition
the automobile owners themselves are
% = considerable degree responsible,
and II the bill proposed becomes a
law they can figure themselves as the
parties that had something to do In
bringing Il about.
The bill which has passed the
House and Is now before the Senate
Is not farmer" measure as has
been unkindly minated. 1t comes
from one Of the departments OF the
\ state government which has inyesti.
stated the subject and found that the
valuable automobile property In the
state is yielding but a slight part OF
the revenue that should come from
o.. II Is an attempt to right a wrong
that now exists. but. in our opinion, 1t
goes AZ the matter on wrong basis
that Of horse power. which may be
the same In = machine worth $4,000
and In another worth $4,000. For
that reason Il creates new injustice
lu place Of an old one.
Automobiles should pay a reason
able tax and the tax proposed In this
II hlr Is not too high or too burdensome
bat the idea OF taxing any property on
lis horsepower instead OF on its val
De- seems TO us absurd. II would be
\ ust as sensible to tax the machines
on = basis Of speed. or to graduate
II l,n taxes according to the height OF
4 man or the size of his waistband