Middletown transcript., 1915-02-13
MAIL ORDER TAX BILL
The Mail Order Houses do not
Pay Any Taxes
THE HOME MERCHANT SUFFERS

n HlOSJ lllONCAhChb he@o
been started by the Retail Furniture
Dealers Association, of the State of
Tennessee and it might be well for
similar EXAMINATIONS elsewhere to initiate
their axample. No doubt the eyes of
many dealers will be opened to the
seriousness of the situation by reading
the following communication which was
just received. The facts and statistics
set forth in the following letter are in
deed surprising.
THE FURNITURE WORKER,
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Gentlemen,
This association, with the cooperation
of thousands of live merchants through
out the United State, is endeavoring to
secure the passage of the attached
bill in the present session of Congress
and earnestly requests that if you are
interested in equal taxation and in the
preservation of local business fol the
local merchants, that you write to your
Congressman and Senators and state
that you earnestly ask their help in Sc
curing the passage of H. K. 5308, and
also write to each member of the Ways
and Means Committee of the House of
Representatives in Washington, d. c.,
who are the following, and ask that
they at once make a favorable report
of this bill to the House:
Oscar W. Underwood, Chairman;
Francis Burton Harrison, Dorsey W.
Shackelfofd, Claude Kitchin, Henry 7.
Rainey, Lincoln Dixon, Cordell Hull,
Winfield, S. Hammond, Andrew j.
Peters, A. Mitchell Palmer, Timothy T,
Ansberry, John M. Garner, James w..
Collier, Augustus o. Stanley, Serene E.
Payne, Joseph W. Fordney, Augustus
P. Gardner, ]. Hampton Moore, Sydney
Anderson, William P. Green, Victor
Murdock.
From statistics that we have been
able to gather, we believe that at the
present time the Mail Order people are
securing thirty per cent. of the entire
business of the country and are paying
no taxes in a great many states wherein
they secure the bulk of their orders;
this we feel is a discrimination against
the regular merchant.
We have talked to farmers, mer-
chants, bankers and laborers and people
in all other lines of occupation and we
have as yet to find man who does not
belive that the mail order houses should
be taxed in this way to help support the
roads that they send their goods over,
and the courts in which they often have
legal cases.
1t is fact that the progressive far
mer and the progressive merchant in
variably combine whenever there is any
item of local benefit or civic improve
ment discussed, and when money is
needed for the advancement of civili-
cation, education or religion that the
= above two foot the bill, while the mail
order people secure almost one-third Of
the business done and in no way, that
we know of, assist in the advancement
and improvement of any of our re-
sources. In fact, in a great many Of
the states, it is the Parasite sucking
the life blood (or money! and being ex-
empt from taxes, they return nothing
for the benefit of the states where they
have no warehouses.
At the present time there are ovel
one thousand mail order houses in the
United States doing over 81, 600, 600, 0O(
of business each year, and while draw
ing support from all sections, they are
exempt from taxation where they secure
the bulk of their trade, while the loca
merchants pays for the privilege o.
, doing business as well as taxes upon hi
property and investments and moreover
contributes to every affair that trend!
towards the enlightenment aud advance
ment of our commonwealth.
We are in no way trying to RESTRAIN
trade, but our eyes are opened to tn,
fact that the present exemption t.
taxes of mail order houses in all state
except where they carry warehouses
etc., is unfair to every tax payer ii
every state where they are exempt.
This evil is the growth of few year
and if it is ever to be put upon fai
basis, now is the time to do it.
The farmers are rapidly beginning t
realize that the mail order people shoul
assist them in the payment of taxes a
well as the merchants, and the mer
chants feel that from point of justic
that it is not fair play that they shoul
be taxed while then competitors, doinI
a business with headquarters in anothe
state, yet with their statesmen Tor cata
logues) using every road and calling o.
every house in his immediate neighbor
hood are free from all tax, while eac
order that goes in is dated in his state
and the attached law is the only wa
which we have be able to find tina
taxes can be legally and justly equalized
There is not a line of business or
profession that the mail order house
are not affecting for among all is tn
tendency to eentralize at few larg
cities and in this way eliminate tn
smaller cities entirely.
The insurance man fails to get tn
insurance on the stock because tn
merchant only carries 70 per cent 0
Nwhat he would if the mail order house
4 did not secure the other SO per cent
! the states receive taxes only on the 7