El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-08-08
THE BURDEN OF THE NEW TAXATION
MUST NOT BE PLACED ON THE POOR

THE proposal the ways and means committee Of the
house to increase largely the present taxes upon
heaters automobiles tobacco and various other businesses
and things VIII serve to draw public attention back to the
plans Of congress TO provide very much larger revenue 1or
the government in carrying the
Congress nearly always higher taxes against
Of the people and whenever proposal IS made to
place heavier burdens corporations and firms OF heavy
capitalization and great profits earnest defenders OF those
corporations and firms always ase to defeat the PLAN II
possible.
In view Of the fact that the ways and committee
the house proposes to make the industries which
drawing great profits from the pay most Of the
tsxes If viii Be interesting to see what fight viii develop,
particularly reaches the senate In that
body the big industries have their staunchest friends
The house committee plans to tax real war profits by
comparison with pewar profits and to provide an
alternative scheme which shall apply to businesses whose
prewar profits were high which would therefore bear
comparatively light taxes But how shall the COM
ttee provide tax for businesses whose Prear Prolts
considerable but have dvindled? Heavy taxes
ali around doubtless unavoidable but the muntion
plants, the Uniform 1actore the shpyaros, the motor
truck and arplane factories and all the plants which are
making millions out OF the ought to pay to the
national treasury OF those millions in the form Of
and profits and the higher the percentage
assessed within reason, the better the country viii be
pleased Great Britain taxes high 90 percent We
nay come 10 that
As usual congress viii also devote great deal of at
tenton the taxation Of what termed Injuries There
Is reason for not taxing Injuries and certainly
premium should be placed upon them by exempting them
from taxation But the trouble with tax upon luxuries
that is difficult collect and easily be avoided by
simply sbsalnng tTom the use OF luxuTleS There IS the
further difficulty Of drawing the line between luxurles
and articles Of ordinary So Injuries is bound
20 prove Disappointing source Of revenue.
The real money VIII from income and profits
taxes as above stated, and from taxes articles Of
binary consumption These should be moderate
possible In principle the assessment of taxes articles
Of ordinary consumption right because distributes the
burden practically the whole consuming public
placing on all the obligation Of helping finance the
IN practice unfortunately places burden Of taxation on
large part Of the citizenship least able to bear it.
Equally unfortunately way has been devised Of fix
ing commodities that the manufacturers bear
any share Of them It has been found that when at
tempt been made to fix commodity the source
they invariably passed to the ultimate
that he is always forced to bear the burden The
facturer is reached through individual and corporation
and profits taxes, perhaps, but through
commodity taxes.
The whole question viii be very thoroughly dis
ssed IN and Of congress, during the few months
that the purse Of every business house
hold and individual And it viii 60 well with members
Of congress who Try to burden down the person Of small
means and tighten the load for the corporations