The Mena weekly star., 1917-08-16
SWOLLEN INCOMES
 SHOULD PAY MOST
La Toilette Says It Is Unfair Co Tax Everyday Necessities of Averaue Wan While Abnormal War Pro
 fits Are Not Taken.

Washington, Aug li.A minority report of the Senate finance com mittee on the war tax bill was pre- sentcd to the Senate today by Sen ator La Toilette, with the concur renee of Senators Gore and Thomas. recommending that war profits and big incomes be utilized as the prin- cipal sources of taxation in provid- ing funds for the countrys war needs.
 Contrary to expectations, Senator La Toilette did not present a substi- tute bill for the pending war tax bill. He announced, however, that unless the Senate adopted amend ments to be offered by himself and his associates. a substitute would he offered.
 England's S0@o Income Tax.
 The minority report charges that the bill, as revised by the majority, makes but palpably inadequate pro- vision for raising revenue needed for financing the war thru the fiscal year and that the onus of taxation has been placed upon those less able to bear it.
 England has taxed her war profits 80 per cent without impairing her great industries, declared Senator La Toilette. Instead, her wealthy classes were never in receipt of larger incomes nor were her large business concerns more flourishing.' Heavy taxes, he said, could be levied on American corporations without affecting capital or crippling industry
 Easily Double From Incomes.
 From the income tax and tho war profits tax, states the report, there can be raised without subiecting the country to serious financial strain. and without depriying the wealthy of even the luxuries of life, more than double the amount proposed ill the pending bill y
 If Congress were to adopt the British rate of 80 per cent on war profits. Senator La Toilette said, more than two and quarter bil- lions Of dollars would be realized in single year from this sourcer
 Nothing that this country or any other country has ever previously undertaken in the way of financing he declared, compares with the oh legations we are assuming. We have moi merely to finance the We must, to large extent, finance at least five or six other countries
 Cites Enormous Profits.
 In comparison with the average yearly wage of $700 earned by the American laboring man, Senator La Toilette presented statistics indicat-- ing that the percentage of war pro- fits over normal earnings Of the Du- pont Powder Company was 400 per cent, Bethlehem Steel 1900 per cent, American Zinc, Lead and Smelling Company i,500 per cent, United States Steel 300 per cent, Anaconda Copper zoo per cent American Beet Sugar, 250 per cent, Armour X Go. $50 per cent, and American Hide X Leather 250 per cent.
 In urging that the income tax scale be increased to tighten the burden born by the laboring classes, figures were cited indicating that wages have increased only IS per cent while the necessaries of life have advanced S5 per cent.
 Unfair to Poor Man.
 Tt is monstrously unfair, said Senator La Toilette, to tax the everyday necessities of the average man or woman to pay the expenses of the war in addition to command ing their services and the lives of many of them and their children, so long as the swollen and abnormal war profits are not taken profits which the war has created and which will disappear as soon as the war ends. Every dollar of the above profits can be taken and still the enormous peace time profits of these and other great corporations will not be touched. Every stoekholder would still receive his handsome peace time dividend, every officer his princely salary"