The Sentinel=record., 1917-05-30
SENATE ABOUT REACHES DECISION
 ON WAR TAX BILL
LIQUOR AND STAMP TAXES ARE ITEMS THAT ARE YET TO BE AGREED ON.
Reduction Is Made on the House 8ll's Tax on Soft Drinh--Tax Win Be Placed on Confectionery

WashinstOu, May 29-Decisions on nearly all important questions in re. drafting the $IS00,000.O 900 war tax il had been reached late today when the senate finance committee sus- pended it's work over Memorial day Except for the liquor and stamp taxes carried in the measure as it passed the house, the committee has settled the major principles of revision with Ia view toward reducing the house to- tai to around $l.5O0,O00,000.
 The principal decisions today were
 Elimination of the general tariff
 .aw of 10 per cent advalorem on imports Cestimated 10 raise s20O,0o0.- 000) and substitution of excise or con. sumption taxes on sugar, coffee tea and cocoa.
 Reduction If the souse increases n
 tax on cigars, cigarettes and all other tobacco products from about 100 to 60 per cent with no estimated reduction in the $7S200,O00 designed to be brought in under the house rates. Elimination of the house taxes of ] per cent consumers electric light and power gas and telephone bills, estima ed by the house 10 raise in al l I$36,O001Qo The committee, however, proposes 10 retain the tax on tele- graph and long distance telephone messages
 Elimination of taxes on all insur. ance, involving revenue loss of 1 l$5,00o000.
 Addition of a new per pound tax upon confectionery estimated to raise from ten to fifteen million do lars to be paid by manufacturers. Reduction of taxes on soft drinks
 and their ingredients to make the to.al levy about $l5,000000 instead of $20000. 900.
 With there phases of it's task de
 cided upon the committee arranged 10 have Chairman Simmons and treas ury department experts make sur yey tomorrow of it's work to date to Iascertain whether further changes
 are necessary to arrive al a bill roughly totalling s1,500,00O.000 Secretary McAdoo urged Senator simmons and other committee mem
 bers to bring cut bill levying near
 the $1S00.000,000 total of the house.
 buG committee sentiment wa,s said
 to be virtually unanimous against him
 and in favor of providing through shor. time bonds any money needed l in excess of l500 GOO .000
 The committee fixed the new ex-
 else tax on sugar at half cent pound
 and that on cocoa at cents a pound. estimated 10 yield respectively S45,- l 000000 and $7.000.000 Coffee and tea rates were not definitely determined
 but it is expected they will remain
 at one and two ceits a pound re- | spectiyely, as fixed by the house bill Taxes on sugar. cocoa. coffee and tea will be paid directly by importers or manufacturers.
 Senatcn. said today the house taxes
 on public utilities including those on pipe mes. transportati freight, ex. press and Pullman accommodations probably will be retained, The opinion was expressed that the committee will reject the proposal of Senator EIardwick Of Georgia and pt Stoffice department heads for a new DO tai tax upon newspapers, maga- ! zines and other second class publica-
 tons based upon their proportion of advertising space
 Senator Hardwick promises to carry the fight to he senate f GOT. A tentative draft of the propq sed
 new federal license tax on automo- bile, based upon their Horsepower
 was received today, but not acted upon.