The Detroit times., 1909-12-24
|EhGlIsR BAR0 n S
DODGE TAXES BY
CLEVER RUSE
Invest Money Abroad, Have Incomes
Paid Into Foreign Bank, Check 1t
Out and Never Tell Internal
Revenue Department Anything.
Big Campaign Is On To Determine If
Some of Burdens Shall Be Lifted
From Masses.
ey CHARLES P. STEWARD.


70 England and see how excited every
body is over the coming election in
the British isles. over here the mo-
nopolizing OF natural resources has
reached the limit and now they're
holding an election so that they can
legislate away some OF the evils which
the English people allowed the few
20 blanket them with.
1t started ever SO long ago in Brit
ain. About 800 years since small
group of noblement took possession
OF all the land and then held ON by
sword. spear and battleax. Their de-
scendants, or the latter day captains
OF industry who handed over millions
for ancestral estates. still hang on TO
a large part OF grabbed land--theirs
now by sacred property right. In fact,
$50 men today own nearly one-seventh
of the land and natural resources OF
the kingdom.
The English government is pretty
expensive government TO keep up. To
do 1t. nearly everything in England
is taxed-except land, Thus the great
mass of the people OF England are
compelled to keep the government go
ing and they pay over So per cent or
the taxes.
The masses have made one or two
attempts to put part OF the burden
on the nobility. but they never proved
much OF a success. For instance, they
got income and Inheritance taxes up
on the statute books.
How do they work? Why. the
nobleman invests his money abroad,
has his income paid into foreign
bank. checks 1t out as he feels like
IL, and never tells the internal reve-
nue. department anything about It. The
hired man can't hide his income. Ii
shows on the books OF the nobleman
he works for. and the tax collector
helps himself out OF IL. He helps him
self to nearly one-twentieth of the total
income. IL the nobleman paid his in
come tax, too, the rate his hired man
must pay would drop TO one-hftetn.
AS for the inheritance tax, the noble
man generally arranges to give away
the bulk OF his property TO his heirs
before he dies.
IF the noblemen would let the masses
work their land. even at exorbitant
rates OF rental, IL wouldn't be quite so
had. But in a great many cases they
don't. One-tenth OF the area OF Eng
land. Wales and Scotland is closed
against development because the own
ers want IL for game preserves. There
is a standing army of about l,OOO,O00
unemployed on the island who would
like to cultivate these preserves, but
the noblemen insist that this wouldn't
do--if il were cultivated they couldn't
raise partridges and rabbits on L..
The present national campaign in
England is over the budget. The rea-
son the lords disliked the budget was
that IL contained a clause providing
for tax on land. II was not a large
tax. II was a tax OF a ''hae-penny in
the pound" There are $50 "hae-pence"
In pound, so the tax would have
amounted 10 only one-four hundred
end eiehtieth of the value of the noble
mems land. as against the one-twen-
tfeth that the hired men have TO pay
on their incomes. II wasn't so much
the amount OF the tax that the lords
objected TO however, as IL was 10 the
precedent. II the people ever got the
Idea that il was right TO tax land at
all, the lords argued. they might In
crease the tax TO a penny or to
s.tuppence'' or TO a shilling or 10
almost any amount.
The nobility admits that the money
the land tax would have brought TO
the government is needed to run the
government. But the nobility does not
think a land tax is the proper way OF
getting II. The nobility's idea is that
tariff on food products would be
much the best thing One nobleman
eats no more than one commoner
Noblemen are numbered by hundreds,
conmoners by millions Thus il is
evident that a food tax would be
placed where taxes beiong-on the
masses and not on the land-holding
nobility, which Is neither used to tax
paying nor desires 10 become familiar
with II.
There is an education issue.
church Issue. social reform issue.
franchise issue and dozen others OF
varying importance and interest. but
they arc all subordinate issues OF the
one big issue-are the people going
10 continue giving up everything they
earn To the nobility, or, having work.
ed for It, are they going 10 keep II for
a. H.