Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-02-18
EXPECT To KILL
TAX BILL OFFSET
Committee Recommends Death
to the Measure.
RECORD FIGHT IS PREDICTED
Friends and Enemies of. Hanson Bill
Viping Out Personal Property
Feature Are Leaving No Stone
unturned.

Reconsideration of the c.
f. Hanson bill providing for the
wipine out of the personal property
"Offset'' under the state income tax
law is scheduled for the weeks center
of greatest activity in the Wisconsin
legislature. The most strenuous de
hotc of the present session is predict
ed for this measure.
At this time the state assesses prop
erty as follows: A tax on real es-
tate. tax on personal properly and
IN income tax. Bv the terms, of the
income tax law persons may use their
personal property tax receipts against
their income tax. The result is that
about one-third of the income tax as
sessed is "offset" by personal property
tax receipts. In the eight years th:.t
the income tax has been in operation
an income tax of approximately S28.-
100000 has been assessed. Of this sum
S16000,000 has been collected in cash
and S12,000,00 has been ''Offset" by
personal property tax receipts.
For the year just closed the offset"
has amounted to S3,50O,OO0. The Han
son bill goes on the assumption that
there is no logic for this offset and
that the collection of the personal
property tax would increase taxes gen
orally but an adjustment of these
taxes would result in lowering of the
present taxes on certain property.
Long hearings have been held on the
subject and the committee, by vote
of three TO four, has recommended the
bill for death But this close vote only
Indicates a hot fight and the friends
and enemies of the measure are busy.
1t will probably be the hottest argu-
ment i'm the legislature this year.
In its annual report to the legisla-
ture, the conservation commission pre-
SCENTS some interesting facts about The
clamming industry of Wisconsin. The
industry was started only 20 years ago
along The Mississippi, and for several
years proved very profitable TO those
engaged in it. Factories for the manu-
facture of buttons were established at
various points and hundreds of fami-
lies went ''clamming." Soon the sup
r:y in the Mississippi river began to
disappear and then the inland streams,
The Rock. Fox, Wolf and Wisconsin,
were invaded. At first the MISSISSIPPI
pi "clammers" received but Sc per
ton for their product, but within the
past two years shells have brought on
he ho coo tn CO.. nor Ton
Before the Mississippi river supply
gave out the conservation commission
of this state sought to secure the
enactment of law to regulate clam
IaiuC The Minnesota commission had
Il law passed in that state and the pur-
pose was for the commissions of he
two states to work in conjunction. but
fiIe Wisconsin legislature baked. As
a consequence claiming in all the
streams has gone on until there is Il
parked falling off in the supply. The
conservation commission will ask the
=! gis!ature for Il law that will require
IL fee of 81 for claiming license and
II quire further that at the end of each
alasOn the licensee shall report his
catch
AnOthe: fight to pass the bill for an
elective railroad commission will be
staged before the legislature. Just be
fore the assembly adjourned last Fri
DAY. ASsemblyman Delaney of Green
Fay offered Il motion to reconsider the
vote by which the bill had been killed.
The Delaney motion comes up for de
hate again this week.
The close vote by which the Bartin-
gale bill for an elective railroad COM
mission was killed was the surprise of
the legislature. Few there were who
had any idea that the bill had a ghost
of show When the vote was an
announced. 45 to 43 in favor of the
killing of the bill. even the equity
sponsors of the measure were sur
prised.
LabOring men are manifesting great
interest in the bill offered by Assem-
hlyman Thomas S. Nolan, GAINESVILLE,
for a board of Cancellation To inveSti-
gate differences of wages between en-
pioyers and employees. The commits
sion is composed of three members ap-
pointed by the governor.