Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-02-14

s,,,;ns wind mills. The sc ,tiaman
who first spoke on this bill says t'A'
q does not fit Maine. The time may
come when we need change in she TAX
and when we dc let's have :o1netnH'S
that will fit our case.
Mr. Laughlin stated that he had cofh-
munications afrom Representative" =.
e. Buzzell of Belfast conveyin'; he
protest of the Belfast Board Of Trade.
.nd from Hon. w. H. Newell of lI"v ia
ton. who were unal ie to Ne presen, but
:, ;sbed TO be known as opposed 20 The
bill.
Former Senator Patrick II. Gillin
OF Bangor was then presented. He
stated that he brought the protest OF
the Bangor Chamber of Commerce.
He said he was unable to compre-
bend the bill. adding that it was 1.-The
most incomprehensible" measure he
had ever read. He then took up the
Massachusetts law. stating that it
cost the tate s2se.sos.s5 to enforce
it the frsS year it was in operation.
Senator Gillin continued:
II desire to read from the report
on the Massachusetts income tax
law. which l will place in your hands.
The report states that hundreds Of
business and manufacturing firms
were forced into better bookkeeping
us the result of the law" the report
also calling attention to the fact that
a large number of failures were found
to be due to bad methods Of book
keeping: IF the state of MasSachu-
sets is willing to pay $226,S56.2o to
teach it's people bookkeeping, the peo-
pie of the State of Maine are not"
added the former Penobscot senator.
He referred to the valuation of Maine
as approximately $47S,0O0.00O and
that of Massachusetts as $4,53S.00O.-
900, adding that what would apply to
the Bay State would not apply to
Maine He referred to Names tax law
as perfect. simple system. and he
added that there is not a town that
cannot have listing bill il it wants
to follow the statutes. Continuing he
said:
For such law as this the time is
ineXpedient. We have got a perfect
! tax system in this State, and let us
not go back to other states for a
. system. If this law is passed what
is going to become of the $oS000 of
intangible tax from Bangor if this
law is put on the statutes? Who
| drafted this law? l cannot find out.
So far as | konw there is not a bust
ness firm in the State that is not op-
; posed to il. The business men of my
city, the second largest in the State.
20 A GanfJor0on
! thank you"
Robert Treat White.ouse OF Port
! land told the committee in opposi-
| ton to the bill said that there may
! be a question whether the Leeisla-
| ture has the power to impose an in
, come tax at all. If 1t is held that the
state can place tax on incomes
! there can be no question but that
! the income of our people are sub
| ject to the provisions Of the consti-
tuition in that the taxes should be
| apportioned equally. If a constitu-
tional amendment was needed in
Massachusetts to provide for a state
+! income tax, 1t is needed in Maine.
! IF you can impose an income tax.
and there is a grave question that
only to me extent that you are en-
titled to impose a tax on personal
property which is six mills said
Mr.. Whiteilouse. II believe that any
discussion Df this proposed law is
futile and is simply wasting the time
of tie legislature said Mr. White
! house in conclusion.
Arthur s. L;ttlefeid Of Rockland
declared that the proposed act was
unconstitutional. that the bill con-
! tains anything but a concise state
ment of general principles and that
if this bill were passed 1T would not
be constitutional in all it's parts. Mr..
Littlefield argued that any new tax
system should be we'll digestcd and
that there had not been enough time
to consider matter of such impor-
lance. ~
Elk Representative Ralph D. Brew
ster of Portland said that the COM
! mittee which Investigated the mat
! ter Of taxation of intangible property
two years ago found s23.Oo0.000 and
the tax on that amount Of property
netted s571.0 as compared with
/ $552.000 under the proposed act.
Hon. Fremont L. Timberlake Of
Phillips spoke in opposition to the
bill. saying that large revenues en-
courage large and wasteful expendi-
! lures.
'Thc Legislature must be careful of
its expenditures for we are drifting
on the rocks said Mr.. Timberlake
II do not dare to trust the Legisla-
ture with Il large revenue. and I am
speaking frankly"