Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-02-19
TO KILL
TAX BILL OFFSET"
Committee Recommends Death
to the Measure.
RECORD FIGHT IS PREDICTED
Friends and Enemies of Hanson Bill
Wipine Out Personal Property
Feature Are Leaving No Stone
Unturned.

Madison.-Considera of the c.
E. Hanson bill providing for the
wiping 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-
bate 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, a tax on personal property and
az income tax By 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 that
the income tax has been In operation
an income tax of approximately S2S.-
100000 has been assessed. OF this sum
S16,000,0O0 has been collected In cash
and $12,000.0O has been ''offset" by
personal property tax receipts.
For the year just closed the offset"
has amounted to $3,500.000. 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
end enemies of the measure are busy.
1t will probably be the hottest argu-
ment in the legislature this year.
In its annual report to the legisla-
ture, the conservation commission pre-
sents some interesting facts about the
claiming 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 1t. Factories for the manu-
facture of buttons were established at
various points and hundreds of fami-
lies went "clamming' Soon the sup
ply in the Mississippi river began TO
disappear and then the inland streams,
the Rock, Fox, Wolf and Wisconsin,
were invaded. At first the Mississip-
pi "clammers" received but SO per
ton for their product, but within the
past two years shells have brought on
the bank $2S TO $50 per ton.
Before the Mississippi river supply
gave out the conservation commission
of this state sought to secure the
enactment of a law to regulate clam
ming. The Minnesota commission had
a law passed in that state and the pur-
pose was for the commissions of the
two states to work in conjunction, but
the Wisconsin legislature baked. AS
a consequence claiming in all the
streams has gone on until there Is a
marked falling off in the supply. The
conservation commission will ask the
legislature for a law that will require
a fee of 81 for a claiming license and
require further that at the end of each
season the licensee shall report his
catch.
Another 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
Bay offered motion to reconsider the
vote by which the bill had been killed.
The Delaney motion comes up for de-
bate 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 bin had a ghost
of a show. When the vote was an
announced, As to AZ 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 bin offered by Assem-
blyman Thomas s. Nolan, GAINESVILLE,
for a board of Cancellation TO investi-
gate differences of wages between en-
ployers and employees. The commits
sion is composed Of three members APP
pointed by the governor.