The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-14
GOVERNOR |S URGED ID CARRY OUT HIS
 CAMPAIGN PLEDGES
State-Wide Committee Calls Attention to Inequities in Kilby's Pending
 Tax Plan
By W. J. ROLES

Montgomery, August 1S.-(SpeciaL )-The
 statewide committee appointed at the
 meeting of business men and representa-
 tives of business organizations held here
 last Wednesday night, issued a state
 ment last night in reply to Governor
 Ki1bys open letter made public today.
 The following is the reply:
 Hon. Thomas Kilby, Governor of Ala
 hama:
 Dear Sir: Replying to your statement
 of this date, addressed to this commit
 tee, you were elected by the people of
 Alabama upon a platform of public eff
 ficiency, economy and real equalization
 of tax assessments. We are ready and
 anxious to support and to aid you in
 carrying your platform into effect. Not
 being members of the legislature. we
 can only make suggestions.
 We respectfully remind you that on pa ge seven of your campaign book. as a candidate you pledged yourself to the
 people of Alabama in these words, to wit: 'Abolishment of the present cum
 bersome and expensive local boards of assessment and substitution therefor or simple machinery for the equalization of tax assessments will make it possible for the tax rate to be reduced
 You asked for constructive sugges- ton. Our committee has already urged the committee of the senate at it's pub lie hearing to write your platform into the statutes of the state. We here and now renew the suggestions made to the senate committee and urge that your pledges to the people be adopted, to- wit; First, efficiency and economy in IL. .s.k.- IL 41f- Nff 1s,-cs second, real equalization of tax assess ments; third, that the principle of ad valorem taxation as provided for in the constitution of the state, be adhered to, and we agree, as you declared in your platform, that real equalization of the tax assessments will make it possible for the tax rate to be reduced; fourth, we favor and pledge support in providing simple machinery for the equalization of of the reasonable value of property and a sufficient appropriation for the eco ncmical operation for such simple equali- zation machinery; fifth, we favor reas- onable increase in appropriation for the support of the old soldiers, and for the support of the schools and the other in- stitutions of the state.
 we oppose income, excess profit and reduction taxes, because they are un- {, sound in principle and admittedly and notorously unjust and negotiable in practice, because all such taxes place unequal burdens on the man of small means, the man of small business, the wage earners. and ultimately upon the consuming public.
 Your income and excess profit tax in every case makes the citizens of small in come, whether earned by personal la Dor or in business, pay much higher rate of taxation than the large corpo- ration with large invested capital. This is not fair nor just to the citizens of Alabama. It is not in keeping with your pla tform nor the fundamental laws of tho state.
 ''No state in the union has an excess 1 profit tax and only a few have an in l come tax. and the rates in these states l are substantially lower than the rates | your propose. The states having income l tax laws are more highly developed | than Alabama. They are lending states | rather than borrowing states. Your pro- | posed income, excess profit and produc- ton taxes will prevent the man of small i means and small invested capital in l Alabama from securing outside capital | with which to develop the farms, the l small businesses and the resources of 1 the state. You propose to break the l back of labor the salaried man, and the men of small businesses in order to place |
 Your appeal to tax the big corpora tons, the so-called profiteers and the oan sharks will deceive no one but the 
 Your analysis of the operation. the Income and excess tax features of the proposed bill is an amazing exhibition ,f transformation. It is inconceivable hat you would approve and advocate he passage of this measure especially 'ince it would require the details and matters of every mans busi- If public record and expose the intimate tffairs of every successful business to he inspection of it's competitors as well $ the unsuccessful business to creditors
 ''The people of Alabama are not op- ,osed to the payment of necessary, just md equitable taxes. But they are op- ,osed to the untried, experimental and inequtable taxes which you ,ropose. he cause of education. In almost every ounty they have voted upon themselves a special 3-mill school tax, and in most 1 counties special school districts have t cen organized and an additional 3-mill I ax has been voted by the people for use l n such special districts The normal I increases in the value of real and per- h onal property, to say nothing of the f cal equalization of tax assessments T lhich you advocated as a candidate. will a ecessarily amount to millions of dollars z lTrA nad .<a L.