Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-26
EMERGENCY TAXATION

The war tax revenue bill. agreed upor
by the Democrats of the Ways and Mean:
Committee and framed in accordance
with the Presidents suggestion that "suct
sources of revenue be chosen as will be-
gin to yield at once and yield with a
certain and constant flow," was intro
duced into the House of Representatives
Monday. On the following day the com
mittee presented its report, saying that
"the necessity for this legislation grows
out of the reduction of revenues derived
from customs receipts. caused by the
disturbed conditions resulting from the
war in Europe"
1t is estimated that the new taxes will
bring slOj 100000 into the Treasury i'm n
year. In general, the measure follows
the lines Of the internal revenue laws of
the Civil and Spanish Wars, but while it
imposes many of the old and some new
stamp taxes it omits altogether bank
checks. some other kinds of commercial
paper, also medicines and perfumes. In
place of these are taxes upon gasoline.
parlor car and sleeping car tickets and
various kinds of wine. Beer pays less
than heretofore, whisky is ignored and
tobacCo's burden Is not much changed
Bankers, brokers and amusement pro-
prietOrs are levied upon, and insurance
policies and telegraph and telephone mes
sages are included among sources of rev.
enuc.
Republican opposition to the bill has
been manifest in Congress and in the
press since it was first proposed. The
Boston Herald calls attention to the
fact that Canada, which is a partici-
pant i'm the European struggle, is i'm
posing a war tax no larger i'm proportion
to our own. The Chicago Herald objects
stranuuusly to the provision concerning
insurance policies: "a tax on life and
casualty insurance policies is tax on
small savings. why don't the lawmakers
put tax on savings bank deposits and
De done with it? They are doing about
the same thing" Limited praise for
the bill is given in the New York
World, i'm the remark that il does not
Increase the cXaCtions upon incomes and
Omits wholly the mischievous idea OF
taxing domestic freight bills support
and opposition. both in Congress and
out of it, is divided on strictly partisan
lines.
The principal criticism Of the war tax
measure Is that it IS wholly unncces- |
sary. 1.-The new tax is not a war tax" !
says the Brooklyn Citizen 'it is a tribute .
TO Democratic Incompetence and eXtrtva- /
Rance.' The Albany journal calls il "a (
war tax in time of peace" ana declares
that Congress framed it i'm the hope of .
conCealing the effects OF Its free-trade- !
ward policy" The proposal for the cs-
tablishmcnt of a taxation commission,
to which would be committed the entire
subject of revenues by the Government,
is seconded BY the Ohio state journal
as the way out Of such muddlcs as that /
which now exists 1t will be a forward
step when Congress Yields its right 10
lcgislate for revenues, for then such
laws will he based upon principle and
not upon solishness. which characterizes
the field today"
Yesterday the war tax bill came up
under a rule limiting debate TO seven
hours. This rule, reported from COM /
nittee on Thursday, was denounced bv
he opposition as a gag" rule.
The bill passed the House by a vote of
233 to 1856.