The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-12-06
GERMANS TAX BURDEN
BEYOND ALL PRECEDENT
1t Will Amount to confiseation of
Almost Every Persons
Property

Berlin, Dec 4-Mathias Erzberger,
Minister of Fianance, prefaced his
battle for vast tax measures with
two-hour speech before the national
\ assembly today He warned the De-
puties that the man who was still
wrapped up in pre-war individualism
would not find the tax assessment
awaiting him to his liking.
Herr Erzberger announced that the
budget for the fiscal year of 1919 pro-
vided for reduction in the total eX-
! penditure amounting to 81, 500,000,000
marks. Extraordinary expenses would
amount to 41,000, 000, 900 marks, and the
extraordinary was levy and taxation
on war fortunes together would yield
| IL 900 100000 marks. The require
ments of the state for the next year.
he added, would be 1880 100000
marks.
The three major bills which are for
! disposition before the holidays are the
national and local tax measure income
tax and national emergency levy. AN
of these bills are of such far,reaching
national and economic Importance that
they are bound to provoke long and
acrimonious debates.
The draft of the national and local
tax laws comprises sixty.one para
graphs. 1t grants the federated States
and local communities the right to
levy taxes, provided these do not con
flict with constitutional provisions or
national taxes. The law also desi-
gnates the extent to which the indi-
vidual States must share in national
/ assessments and defines the limitat.
ions to which they are permitted to
go in the enactment of their own tax
laws ID
The first thousand marks of income
are not assessed in the scale named
in the income tax schedule. After that
| amount incomes will be taxed 10 per
cent for the second thousand l per
cent being the graded increases for
every thousand up to $1,000 marks. In
comes in excess of 500 200 marks must
pay 60 per cent.
The man who had a prewar income
of 100000 marks is expected now to
turn over half that amount to the
State, while local taxes are likely to
consume an additional 10000
The German people have no concep
tion of even the approximate price
they will have to pay for the loss of
the war in direct taxes while indir-
ect taxes which are expected to yield
| 1000, 100000 marks year will ma
| terially add to the cost of living for
the next few years. Herr Erzberger's
estimate of the latter revenue is bas-
ed on the assumption that the nations
economic life will gradually reach its
former dimensions.
7 a unique provision of the income
tax law obliges an employer or man
with servants to deduct the income
tax from the weekly wage paid, re-
ceipting for the amount by pasting tax
! stamps on tax card in the possess
ion of the employer, then redeem the
stamps when cancelled by offering
them on payment for his own taxes
The most ominous of the three tax
laws is the measure providing for
/ national emergency levy on capital,
which is uncanny in the abrupt method
whereby II associates a man of even
| modest fortune from his capital This
| confiscation raid has already been vio-
lently criticized by financial and bank
ing circles and will undoubtedly pro
woke series of stormy debates in the
Az ambly.