The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-02-05
The Automobile Tax
Why Car Owners are Willing to
Bear the Burden of Good
Roads Taxation.


Columbia. Jan. 20.-The legislation
which will be asked at this session OF
the General Assembly looking to the
construction "a system of permanent
roads in Sou,h Carolina will not cal
foi. an election on 4 bond issue but
will provide for the taking of Ger
tain steps paving the way for an cleo
I1ion on the bond issue in 1920.
The Rock Hill Record recently III
commenting on the proposition t" "G-
fund a bond issue Of this sort by
tax on automobiles declared thai
this would not prevent the proposed
bond issue from being liability
against every taxpayer in the state
r. A. Wilson, Of Rock Hill, reply
ing to The Record. declared that tie
statrnent was correct and added that
all State bond issues are.
The question naturally arises,
says Mr.. Wilson, "as to why tho tax
payer should pledge his credit for
such a proposition. In consideration
Of this credit the auto owners are
willing for the public to have free
use Of these roads without one cen:
of cost to the taxpayer. Now what
will such a system Of roads be worth
| TO the taxpayers? 1t is my humble
opinion that such system OF roads
will 90 more to increase the mater
:al, educational and religious inter-
ests Of the community than anything
that we can do. It will save millions
of dollars in the cost Of marketing
our crops alone and how much more
it wiE save in the cost Of transport
ing other commodities is impossible
to figure.
"It will be promoter of the con-
solidated rural school in that the pu-
pi! will be able to travel greater
distance to school in less time and at
less cost than at present.
'It will promote better attendance |
upon church services because the
churches will be more accessible ta
the rural members
at will promote social intercourse |
between people living in the country I
and those living in the towns and
cities.
1T is useless for me to waste my
time and yours in trying to enumerate
the many advantages of good ROADS
for you and all other thinking peo-
pie know what they are.
"Now # the auto owners are will
ing to do something that will be
worth so much to the taxpayers, ism t
it worth while for the taxpayers to
end their credit for this purpose pro-
viGed ne is convinced that the auto
owner is able and willing to pay the
5ill TIE only guarantee that we have
that he viii be able to pay the bill
is precedent. The number of autos
licensed in the State in the past three
years were as follows: In 1915. 19.OoO
IN 1917. $1,000: in 1918, 10000. Now
is it not reasonable to suppose that !:
we will have not less than 100, 600 oy
1921. :
"Of course it is unreasonable to !,
suppose that the increase will stop 6
here, but if it should, the revenue
from the number Of cars will be SUM
cient to pay the bill. You might say
hat il is possible that autos Will go Z
out of style within the next ten years. !
Of course it is impossible to foretell
The future. but we must believe that
he time will never come when there
Will not be some kind Of motor driven
vehicle to use the roads and pay the
tax. The man that buys the bonds
las no more Of j guarantee that there
will lie any taxable property in the
State in ten years than the taxpayer b
aas that there will be autos to pay S
3ff the bonds Both the man that c.
,uys the bonds and the taxpayer will h
nave to apply good old "hoss sense" il
% the proposition and figure the fu- il
urc by what has taken place in the S
)aSt tf
Now as to the constitutionality OF o,
he proposition it seems to me that. pl
it is constitutional to tax autos 25c S.
,er horse power for the privilege Of al
flowing through muddy roads. with as
,ut even asking their consent to the te
ak. It certainly ought to be constitu- b,
ional to tax them 500 per horse F.
'ower for the privilege of gliding over
system of paved roads. Most es- til
ecially when he is proposing the tax tn
IF there is any State in the union w
hat dcas not tax autos for the priv tn
ege of using the roads, 1 have new Gl
r heard of it and / am not willing re
0 believe that the five million auto la
wners in America are so good natur- nc
d that they would sit and to be taxed Sc
4 violation Of their constitutional ye
lights Off bun,pins over the kind Of
Dads we have had in the past
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New York, Jan. 31.-Christy wi