Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-31

IS a member OF the Taxation committee, we
took this matter uD very thoroughly from
time 10 time. will admit that il was a
very hard question for the committee TO
get al. and they felt that they rather fla
yoTed a state income tax. but te set it
fairly before the Legislature Tho Resolve
introduced was 10 favor state income tax.
AMI if that wss not reported fayorabiy
on by The Legislature. then We asked
Them to report fayoraby on the national
income ;lx and left ii 10 The legislature.
One OF he hard thin@+ thgt the commute
Tee found in rasari 70 The national tax
was that there was 30 proportional part
thar would come back to The STATE. The
money would be collected and it would all
go west aud we would not get it all back
That h one of the lhiugs the committee
looked at. II the STATE income Tax is not
passed We thought III national on should
be.
Mr.. IRVING % aroostoob Presi
dent ami gentlemen Of the icaat". A.
| understand the question before ihis body
is, il ] understand the proposition fairly
rs 10 whether we shall adopt III" rajiHra-
ton of. article XVI. or the income tax
amendment 20 the Federal Consultation. or
substitute Il Maine income tax. Vow as
the Senator from Somerset. Senator oa-
born. has said. both ,parttcs were pledged
to support the ratification of the Federal
income tax amendment. Personally | was
in favor of that, and | declare 10 thc
members Of the senate that | gave it no
serious thought that | did not understand
The working of il, and / believe it is safe
=
the people in the State OF Maine know
about the working OF IL. They cid not
dig into the practical working Q 1t or
did not find out how it would work IN case
We voted to ratfy the Federal amer dmcHt,
in case we gave power TO Congress to as
sess tax on the Incomes OF the safe of
Maine and all the States. After coming
TO the Legislature, this Resolve cane be
fore the Taxation Committee and / think
thai every member of that committee, the
ten men making up that committee be
lcve they were all in favor OF adopting
that resolution. And again | say that it
is safe to assert that not one man of the
ten understood the working OF it. They
had not given it careful thought. They
had not dug into the practical working
of it, But when we did bogin to irvcr''-
gate, and the more we did dig into the
working OF the Bill, the change came about
that We didn't want TO do it. We re-
pudiated the idea of allowing the Federal
Congreas-allowing Congress to come into
our State and assess our incomes and
have the money go into the national treas
ury TO be appropriated as Congress saw
tit And out of the argument, pro and
con, in regard TO the working of an in
! come tax Bill there was formulated and
drafted a tentative Bill in regard TO the
taxing of incomes in Maine by the State
IA state income tax Dili-and that Bill
| as it has now been amended is House
| Document No. 76t, which | presume all
of you have looked at and examined care
| fully. Now | don't know that any mom
| Der of the Taxation Committee is really
| satisfied with the draft. do not know,
! what changes might be made what amend
ments might be offered to make it moro
| fair and equitable Some objection hoe
been made to this draft in section first tho
| ninth line, that the graduated tax will no
| on the amount SO received and above soooo
i, That would be the starting point of assass.
/, ing the income tax. Now il has h
| urged by different members of tnja+
| lature that that means, under the 49,.