Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-05-03
Continued from Page y

tax, is still a tribute to the modern
Lords, the Trusts and the big manu-
facturers. They still take as much
rs the traffic will bear, and often
more.
However the direct tax is now a
kind of cooperative investment, in
business conducted collectively
whether by city, town, county or
state Taxes, make undertakings
complish. The individuals get to-
gether for common protection against
the ravageS of the elements, TO en-
emies or of disease They MUST
get together for roads, water, schools,
and such other state Lf municipal
business, as the commonwealth, be
it small or large, can do better than
the individual or which the indiyid-
ual could not do at all This is the
modern idea OF taxation, However
our wealthy class still cling to the
idea, that the common people are
here to pay tribute to and for them.
No real wealthy man ever pays tax
es, if he can possibly dodge it. To
him it is an insult; an insult to his
pocket book And the same big bus
mess man, would consider it dis
grace to cheat another business man
out of fifty dollars, will think it
sacred duty to cheat the state or
county out of $500 of taxes if he can
possibly do SO. And since our coun-
try is a democracy, where everybody
that has property is supposed to con
tribute to the expenses of the COM
m0nwealth, our capitalists, as class
have become a class Of perjurers,
liars and tax-dodgers. The excep-
tons only prove the rule.
Fortunately we do not have any
very wealthy men in our district so
there should be no tax-dodgers.
The State is trying to put new
DIOSlCSSlNG 1uCoS, ll1IO ulSC1IOoO vi
taxation, and hence the legislature
passes what is known as the Income
Tax Law. Now | believe the Income
Tax system is the fairest system ever
conceived, for the purpose of secur-
ing money to carry on the govern
ment. 1t has been in vogue in near
r. all the older countries, with sue
ca.a,. 1t has also been failure in
H.. states that have attempted it
re, but in all the cases of failure,
use of such failure, lie in the
IN istration of the law and not in
w itself.
Vale you, as assessors, have moth
20 do with the Income assess
il it cussed and discussed, and
i . you will understand it SO you
[ uphold it whenever you hear it
IL tcI1ed
The Income Tax Law exacts a
s., Iement from every person having
IA income of $500 or over, from
which income, the person can deduct
all expense of conducting the bus
mess form which that income is de-
rived and allows certain exemptions
-or the living expenses; $500 of it
be a single person, $1,000 if they be
man and wife and 5000 for each
child under Is years of age, and then,
if there be anything left, after such
deductions and exemptions, that por-
ton, called met Income is subject
to tax, graduated according to the
size of such net income.
The deductions are explicit the
exemptions are liberal, and no one,
except the man of wealth, could have
any good reason to object to the law
or complain of it's requirements. The
wealthy have always been tax-dod-
gers; and unless the Income Tax
Assessors show a little more cour-
age and determined effort than the
average assessor has shown, the law
will be a failure | don't want to
make a prediction 1t would be too
personal Wait and see The great