The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-18
Legislature Already Faces Def
icit of Nearly $1,OOO,OOO.
New Worry for Senate Admin
iStratiOn Members.
WARNING FROM TROUTMAN
Shawnee Senator Starts Demo.
Gratis to Thinking.
Repeating of Laws That
Brought i'm Fees.

Unless the administration Demo-
Gratis figure out a plan that will bring
additional revenue into the state
treasury the next two years, the taxes
in Kansas will jump higher than they
have been for years. There is worry
among the members of the majority
in the senate-and they have been
thinking seriously of a warning given
them recently by Senator Troutman
of Shawnee county. 1t has been f1gur-
ed out that from the present outlook,
the state is facing a deficit of nearly
one million dollars in revenue.
The wholesale slashing of burden
some special taxes and the gleeful re-
pea1ng of the inheritance tax law re-
Gently has exalted the legislators until
they have forgotten the demands that
will be made soon upon the state
treasurer. In the senate the other day
Senator Troutman in appealing to the
Democrats to aid him in the passage
OF his new inheritance tax law, told
the administration that they were in
creasing the cost and decreasing the
revenue every day by their actions.
This set the Democrats to thinking.
Here is what they have found.
The inheritance tax law has been
repealed. This brought 100000 to
the state treasury every two years-of
this amount 100000 came from nom
do and rich people. They have no
inheritance tax this year-they killed
ana buried compromise measure
suggested by Senator Troutman The
Troutman measure would have netted
the state $250,O0O every two years
toward the support of the admins
tration. Probably 10000 out of $780,
600 voters are affected by an inheri-
lance tax on legacies OF $4,000 and
over. Yet the Democrats seem to
be getting by with this kind of poll
tics. However, a bill has been sent in
to the senate late today calling for a
legacy tax.
linen there is the mortgage registra-
ton bill repealed at this session of the
legislature. This measure alone robbed
the state treasury of $3.50 900 in two
years 'Tis true the legislature has
passed bill taxing mortgages under
the guise of a registration fee-but this
will bring only 1925, 900 a year into the
fund for operation and other expenses.
The corporation tax will be in
flicted soon-if all signs do not
fail in the senate This will
or1ng only about s25o,ooo ac-
cording to the most liberal estimates of
its supporters. And the corporation
fees will hereafter go into the good
roads fund instead of the state treasury
as heretofore.
While the legislature has been low
ruby repeating these laws and bene-
fitting the good roads funds. there has
been another enemy of the TAXPAYER
putting in his good work here and there
Salaries have been raised and new
boards have been created which have
netted an increase of $50, 900 in expenses.
This will have to be made I'D either bv
taxes or by the states revenue
A few other things are in view-the
state fair appropriation at a cost of
$4,000 and a 100000 gift in buildings
and exhibits to the San Francisco and
San Diego fairs.
1t will be seen that already nearly a
million dollars loss in revenue to the
state has been recorded by the Iegisla-
ture. 1t costs little more than Sc. 600 |
200 to run the state one year The aver
age tax levy is about 81, 900 OoO. The
extra million is reaped from the rev.
enues in fees and the interest on state
funds.
This means that it is up to the leg
stature this year either to discover
some means of increasing the revenue
by extra fees and taxation or by rails
ing the levy on the lands and personal |
property of the taxpayers of the state |
The Troutman warning came just in |
time. Beginning this week the admin |
stration heads are close together-a |
new revenue device will be the result |
f the Democrats fulfill their promises |
% cut down the state taxes. Either |
new source of revenue or a big chunk |
rom the appropriations to state in
;titutiOnS