The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-01-17
CHANGING OF TAX
LAWS BIG TASK
Huge Problem Confronts the Leo
iSlature.
EVERETT HAS NEW BILLS
To Introduce Measures COVERING
Points in the Governors Message
Wilcox for Commission Form
of Government

| geSt problems with which the WiScon-
| sin legislature will have to grapple
will be the subject of changing the
taxation laws. Several administration
| bills covering points in the governors
message on this subject have already
| been prepared. AsSemblyman E. A..
Everett of Eagle River, administration
| floor leader, is expected to offer some
| of these bills at tonights session. The
| foremost problem of consideration will
be whether the personal property tax
law should be repealed. Such plan
is favored by the Wisconsin tax COM
mission. 1t is opposed by Governor
| Philip.
Aside from the special taxes col
lected in Wisconsin from inheritances
and corporations, Wisconsin levied a
tax on real estate, tax on personal
property and tax on incomes. 1t is
| proposed by the tax commission 10
abolish the tax on personal property
| because the tax commission claims
that experience has demonstrated that
1t is difficult to locate the personal
| property. At the present time, a
man who pays a personal property tax
may use his personal property tax re-
ce1pt as an offset against his income
| tax. The governor agrees with the tax
| commission that this personal prop
erty offset should be repealed. He
| does not agree with the tax commits
ml0n that the entire personal prop
npf 20 10 r,In 10, n
income tax rates increased. Should
| the personal property law tax be re-
| pealed, it is claimed by the tax COM
mission that there would be little loss
| in revenues inasmuch as personal
property receipts are now used as an
income tax offset. The question will
be one of the big problems to be
| thrashed out by the taxation commit
tees of both houses.
One other taxation idea which the
| governor has presented in his message
seems to be meeting with much favor
among the members. Under the In
come tax law at the present time the
| rental value of mans home is COM
| puted as income upon which he must
pay a tax. The governor would re-
peal this portion of the income fax
law. He says it is unfair and unjust
Senator Roy F. Wilcox of Eau
Claire will ask for many changes in
the constitutional arrangement of the
state government. He believes that
the state should be run much like com
mission form of government for cities
are run. He thinks the legislative
bodies are too large and that by hav
ing a smaller body, it could be in reg
ular session practically all the time
if necessary.
Senator Bray Of Oshkosh will be the
champion of the state cabinet plan of
government Bray will present a con-
stitutiOnal amendment, drafted along
the lines of the amendment he present
ed two years ago, providing that the
offices Of secretary of state, state treas
urer and attorney general shall be ap-
3Ointive. At the present time these
officials are elected by a vote of the
people on the same ticket as is the gov
ernor. In favor of the plan, Governor
Phillip and many other administration
leaders point out that the head of an
administration is held responsible to
the people. Oftentimes, however, the
with the governor and may actually do
all possible to block the carrying out
of his views The governor proposes
that the constitution be so changed
that the other state officers may be ap-
pointed by the executive and that these
state officers shall be members of his
cabinet. In reality, there is nothing
new in the idea. The federal Constitu-
ton provides that the president may
appoint his secretary Of state treas
urer, attorney general and other Off
Gals, and these constitute his cabinet
SO the plan proposed by the governor
and Senator Bray is merely a substitu-
ton of the present federal government
plan for the present state plan.
The home rule amendment to the
constitution will again come before
this session of the legislature. 1t will
have the backing Of the Milwaukee
delegation in both houses. Upwards
of one-fourth of the time of the legis-
lature is usually spent in considering
bills relating to cities Senator Jen-
nings and others claim that if a larger
measure of home rule were given to the
cities these bills would not come be-
fore the legislature and the sessions
would be shortened
1t costs the state of Wisconsin 1913