Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-22

office seeking man and party that
voters have ceased to be greatly
our farmer Legislatures of the past
have been particularly given to pass
ing "vicious laws for tho beneft of
special interests" It is just possible
that some Of the members had sense
to reason that we had few enough In
dustries within our borders already,
without taxing any Of them out OF
the state.
But the real trouble with the plank
and the startling Incompetence Of Its
trainers become evident when one req
sons, beyond the mere attitude OF
mind involved. and comes to consider
the workab ility of the plan which 1t
presents. The suggestion is that these
businesses be made to pay the same
rate that the individual pays.
1t would seem fair on the face of It
that the corporation should be sub
ject to the same tax rate ms the in
dividual. AS matter of fact IL is not
fair. For to subject them to the same
tax rate means to exact from them n
heavier tax. This Is because the in
dividual pays taxes on only n part Of
what he possesses. 1t Is the practice
to appraise real estate at less than its
real value, and on possessions other
than real estate the individual is tax
cd only on what he chooses to de-
clare. The result is that rs prac-
teal matter the individual pays taxes
on very much less than he possesses.
With the corporation the case Is 1if-
ferent. From the very nature Of n
corporation-which Is really only a
paper person for the doing Of business
white. And the kind Of companies
mentioned are SO hedged about with
inspectors, examiners and commits
sroners that the state knows as much
about what they possess as they
know. The result of taxing them
locally at the rate at which the in
dividual is taxed would he to make
them pay on their whole property
while the individual only pays on a
part of his.
These companies are able to pay
a fair tax and ought to pay 1t. but It
remains to be proved that they do not
pay fair tax. Certainly 1t would
be folly to tax them unfairly. They
are public aids and every extension
Of their business is benefit to the
state in which they are located. Only
two States impose higher tax rate
upon insurance companies than Yer
mont. These States are Connecticut
and Wisconsin and 1t is notorious
fact that the corporations are moving
out of the latter state to escape leg
islativo oppression. Vermont certain
ly cannot afford to emulate Wisconsin
III tn1S respect
But though a plank might be en-
dured by many Of us which was I'M
never be tolerated which was unfair
to ourselves This plank Is unfair to
our own citizens and particularly to
those citizens who are most in need
of fairness. the residents Of our small
or towns. The change which the dem
ocratic platform advocates would
make a direct State tax necessary, by
diverting all the money which now
} goes to pay the state expenses and
giving It to the towns where the cor
porations happen to he located. This
would throw the heaviest burden of
| to bear II, the small towns. Such a
change would he entirely unfair The
corporations which we Of the larger
towns have within our borders depend
in great part upon the smaller towns
They are too large to be the possess
sions Of any SPECIAL place or group of
places. And we Of the larger CEN
ters OF the state can never afford to
be unfair to the smaller places. for
our prosperity depends almost entirely
upon their prosperity.
II this is sample Of what the
out TO us, 1t is easy to understand
why Vermont is unalterably republi-
can,