Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-11-24
VARIOUS VIEWS
OF INCOME TAX
ATTORNEY GEORGE n. MOVES
OPPOSES INGRAM MEASURE
AS PROPOSED.
A. J. EIMERMAN FAvoRs STATE
LAW BUT AGAINST NATIONAL
ENACTMENT.

George H. Moves, general counsel OF
the Northwestern Mutual Life 1nsur-
ance comuany, declared that if he
read Alright the Ingram bill-which is
| the measure under consideration by
the special legislative committee on
the income tax-it was a very sweep
ing measure.
! Judge Noyes declared if his inter-
probation of the bill was correct, it
gave no exemptions in the taxes OF
corporations, and thus not only priv
ate corporations for business pur-
poses, but all religion and charitable
corporations would have to pay the
tax imposed, if the law was enacted
Probably of the speakers yesterday
morning Judge Moves was the most
| interesting, although Charles F. Faw-
cett and e. P. Villas, we'll known Mil
waukee lawyers, and George HI. D.
| Johnson also appeared against the
bill. The sole supporter of the in
come tax proposition before the com
mittee yesterday was A. j. Elmer
mann, and even he said he was not
certain this state was ripe for an in
come tax law at this time.
Judge Noyes discussed the question
| for the most part from life insur
ance standpoint He said if the bill
contemplated including life insur-
ance, under it's terms it would intiict
a very heavy tax on the Northwest
ern Mutual Life Insurance company
The gross income of the Northwestern
Mutual Life Insurance, Judge Moves
said, was $f0,340,7804S. OF this
amount he said under the terms of
the Ingram bill $13,393, O63.67 would
be subject to taxation. At the rate
of taxation proposed under the Ingram
bill he declared the tax of the North
western Muautl Life Insurance com
pany would be S2,67S,612.93.
Burden on Policy Holders.
This he thought would be highly
of the company.
| Judge Noyes then referred to the
| fact that the insurance taxation ques-
| ton had been referred to the tax COM
mission He said he thought the
committee should await the report of
| the tax commission before acting Oh
| the insurance taxation question.
Judge Noyes suggested that some OF
| the detail burdens now placed on the
tax commission should be removed so
that body could have more time for
the consideration Of large questions,
! Attorney E. P. Villas dwelt at length
on the difficulty of the collection OF
an income tax. In Germany, he said,
such a collection was possible because
of the police surveillance, which per-
mitted the collection of the taxes at
point of the bayonet. Such methods
of collection, he declared, would new
er be permitted in this country.
| Charles F. Fawcett declared he OPP
posed the income tax and especially
| the graduated income tax, because
of the lack of conformity of the tax
which it imposed. Mr.. Fawcett saiu
he believed the tax burden should be
equally distributed. George Fl. D.
Johnson said he thought the income
tax was too direct a form of taxation
and that the people would find it
burdensome. The public, Mr. John
son said, preferred indirect tax bur-
dens to direct tax burdens.
George P. Miller appeared against
the bill Thursday, but his arguments
against the bill were mainly along
the line of other speakers who talked
Ideal Method of Taxation.
an income tax law, said he favored d
state income tax law but not a feder
al law. and declared the enforcement
of boeh laws would inflict a double
| form of taxation. Mr.. Eimermann
said the income tax was the ideal
method of taxation because it placed
the tax burden on the persons able
to bear the taxation burdens. Mr.
Eimermann volunteered to translate
some clauses in the German income
tax laws for the benefit of the COM
mittee. Briefs on the question will
| be filed later with the committee by
| the taxation committee of the Mer,
chants and Manufacturers associa-
ton and by K. K. KEENAN,, a well
known Milwaukee lawyer, who is a
taxation authority.
! The statements before the special
/ legislative committee on the income
tax taken yesterday concluded the
hearings before that committee as
| far as the city of Milwaukee is con-
cerned. The committee adjourned
at noon to convene again at Eau
Claire on either December or De-
cember TO- depending on which day is
the more convenient for the Eau
| Claire people. On Monday, December
| Is. the committee will meet in Madi-
son to begin its final sessions for
work on its report, which it expects
to have prepared in time for presenta-
tion to the governor by December IL
Or December 12