The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-06-10
New Bill May Double AS.
sessment on Machines and
Impose u. S. License
VARIOUS SCHEMES
ARE SUGGESTED
Nothing of Importance Can Be Done,
However, Until Committee Gets a
Definite Estimate from the Treasury
Officials.


WASHINGTON, June 1o.-As the
ways and means committee proceeds
slowly into the taxation labyrinth, il
is becoming evident, members of the
committee say, that incomes, excess
profits, and luxuries must bear in very
large part the burdens of taxes for the
prosecution of the war. Starting with
the idea that the wages of laboring
men had been so high as to warrant a
consumption tax to obtain part of the
additional $4,000 900 necessary, the
committee decided today to abandon
any idea of including tax on tea, cof-
fee and sugar.
After having eliminated one source
of taxation after another, other than
those suggested by President Wilson
and Secretary McAdoo, the committee
is now facing a very serious problem.
One of the most important members
gave il as his opinion that new means
of taxation must be devised as incomes
and excess profits could not bear the
so per cent proposed to be placed upon
them without injury to production and
governmental war activities.
I'm discussing the situation, members
of the committee proposed that semi
Injuries be heavily taxed The most
radical proposition voiced was that the
3 per cent tax imposed on the cost of
automobiles be doubled, and that, in
addition to this tax, row paid by the
manufacturer, there should be a tax
/ in the shape of federal license, rang
ing from 50 to $40, on the users of auto
mobiles. Another idea advanced was
jplacing tax of one-third of q cent 4
gallon on gasoline used by commercial
motors While those plans were brought
forth chiefly with the idea of testing
lpublic sentiment il was admitted thai
it may be necessary to put heavy ia,
lof some sort on automobiles. in ease tn,
!. lexcess rates and incomes do not prov,
as lucrative for taxation purposes a
l treasury officials have. estimated. -.
There il. talk of not only increasin,
the import duties slightly, but also o
imposing an indirect export tax di
rect export tax is prohibited by tn
l constitution, but it is argued that
STAMP tax could properly be require,
for licenses now Issued for all expor
business More than $i,000.000 conl
be obtained in this way without placin
any of the taxes directly on the Ameri
can people
III Apparently representatives of big col
porations, which would necessarily pa
heavy taxes under the tentative ,plal
now outlined. are manifesting little c
no interest in the hearing of the way
and means committee. This is though
to be due either to the fact that thes
men believe that the real bin will |
written in the senate or that protest
argument made by them would be
little avail. There have been no r
i quests received from, the more impo
tant corporations and those heard TIL
far largely represent organizations
Il individuals who have academic theori
1 to advance and are furnishing the col
mittee with no facts of real value
framing a bin.
The ways and means committee had c
tended the time for hearing protestan
and others to June 90, after which t
committee will go into executive sessi
and frame the bill Nothing of i
portance can be done, however, un
the committee gets definite estima
from the treasury officials as to t
amount of excess profits and ineom
II if it is established that these sour.
= of possible taxation have increas
greatly over the last year, the task
the committee will be easy If, on I
other hand, they have not jumped
enormously as some believe, the co
mittee will have to raise the revenue
n taxing luxuries heavily, and also fl
new sources for taxation.
Republican members of the ways a