New Britain herald., 1914-05-27
STATE TAXATION.

stand how such paper as the Hart ford Times will so befog the real issue of taxation in its relation to the state as to deliver itself of such a statement as it did last evening. It said, for instance, that the Herald that the towns are affected by the ! action of the board of equalization in ! increasing the grand lists only when N the state tax is paid. It forgets. says the Times, that the county tax is levied on the grand lists of the towns ast revised by the state board of equalization. The Herald does not for get anything of the kind and there isn'tA a person in the state who is famf9iar with taxation in any form NcheSis not aware that 1t Is on the grand lists as ~revised~by the board of equalization that state and county tax'is laid, but the cities and towns are net concerned about a county tax at 2rasent for the reason that there is MYzle to be paid and no one has any occasion to drag it into the cortro- versy at this time The argument Is overNthe state tax and nothing else The Times then asks this question: t'Doess the Herald give sound advice when it advises the representatives and k,sernators to refuse to vote for a tetate&taxtin the future?' It would have given more sensible counsel if it had urged the members of the general as- Sen1bly to avoid the legislative action That makes it necessary to impose a etate stax.'' ..s
 TheA Herald has given that advice wepeatedly, given it the same as have other papers throughout the state; the Ito it andsthere has been no paper that has been any more severe on that body for its extravaganza than has the Hartford Times. According to the possible to make the Connecticut legis- la<1re practice economy and it must
 8epparent to every one who can and le willinE>to see that some other means nAnst be provided to prevent ex- travagance from being saddied upon kheA cities and towns of the state. In 1e06 an effort was made to have a etatenent made of the income of the state sand the appropriations necessary fo carry on its business. so that the
 
 leg1slat1lre would know where 1t stood. It tAs a sound, ., businesslike and sensfble effort to bring order aand econonny out of anhinefficdent n1egaod pf h-ansacting public business, but the proppsition was killed simply because he men who have been running the legislature do not want any change made and the Hartford Times, ac- crdingato it's latest advice, desires the towns and cities of the state to con- irue tos pluck it's taxpayers in order 1lat state extravagance may be per- letuated, for that is really what it raeans.
 Suppose for instance that the in- eorne of the state is $5,000.0o a year andsthetexpenses are $4,0oo,O0o. That leaves $1, ,0OO, ,000 for new work Any body lof men mszBt know that any ex- penses above that sum cannot be pro- idedlfor out of the revenue and if an Appropriatton is to be insisted upon it means that an extra tax must be laid il order to obtain the money, but if he legislators refuse to vote for such
 tax then the only thing to do Is to Abandon the appropriations: that is what would be done and the people Would not be called upon to meet an xpense which the state could plainly ht afford without exceeding it's in- bne. But if the idea of the Hart ord -sTimes and unfortunately some 5ther papers is to be carried out the Apendthrifts would be given the money h1d the Times would publish another Dock and bull story that the pro eedipR was along the line of economy. lie people are becoming wise to this orts of argument and if the towns and ffies are watchful of their own tn- erest they will send men to the legis-
 ture. who will not vote for appro- riations until they know where the aoney is to come from and if the late Is unable to meet them out of fs income insist that the debt shall
 lot be saddled on the different com
 nnitfes.