Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-03-11
TEST VOTE ON TAX
BILLS THIS WEEK
Result Win Show Whether
BIaine'S Plan Is Feasible.
MANY HIT INCOME TAX BILLS
Business Men Visit Madison to Protest
Against Passage of Measures
To Increase Married Per-
sons Exemptions.

present week the Wisconsin general
assembly is expected TO mike a test
vote on the pending tax measures.
This vote is expected TO determine
whether the economic program of Gov
ernor Blaine can be carried out.
The requests filed by the different
departments of the state ask for APP
preparations approNimatmg Sl5,OO0.0O0
more than the present rev enues OF the
state. The present biennial revenues
OF the state are S55,O0OU00, and the
different boards and commissions and
institutions are asking tor approprla-
tons aggregating S13,U0O,UO0. 10 meet
| this dinerence Governor Blame has
recommended an increase in income
| taxes and has declared that he does
not favor an increase on general prop
| erty taxes of the state. over this point
| the big tight of the legislature hinges.
During the past week nearly 100 hus-
| mess men came to- Madison 10 protest
against the passage of the income tax
| bills. The Two bIils under consider;t-
ton at this time are the Goodman bill
10 increase the exemptions under the
| income tax law and Tie c. +. Hanson
bin to repeal the present personal
property offset.
| Assemblyman Goodman's bill provid-
| ed for an increase of the exemptions
OF man and wife under the income tax
law from 81 200 to s.. 400; an increase
| of the exemptions Tor single persons
from $500 to $1,000, ana an increase
for children from SEQ TO $500. Good
man, in addressing the committee,
thought that these exemptions were
! just. The bin was favored by John
-sIeeks of the brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers and byeC. {. Plat, Wis
consin Nonpartisan league. Tax Com
missioner Atwood said that these in
creaseS in exemptions would mean Va
loss of nearly Sl000O00 in income
taxes assessed against individuals. The
| bill was opposed by Paul ID. Carpenter,
Milwaukee, representing the TaXpay-
ers' league OF Milwaukee. He said nat
| it these exemptions were allowed. it
| would mean that income tax rates
| must be Increased To make up The diff
ference.
The greatest opposition was mani
tested tosthe c. L. Hanson bill for the
| repeal of the personal property offset.
| Hanson said that a man in his county
who had 100000 out at interest and
| good automobile would pay no tax on
| the money out at interest because the
| tax on the automobile would be sufi-
| cient to offset it. He said that he be-
lieyed the personal property offset
should be repealed.
Tax Commissioner Thomas +. Lyons
| said that from 1913 to 1920 $52,Sl3,6Sl
| had been assessed under the income
tax law, of which $22,116,421, or 1917
per cent of the whole, was paid with
personal property tax receipts and
yielded no income.
"1'hat is 10 say" declared Mr.. Ly-
ons, on an average approximately So
| 100000 of assessed income tax has
| been annually forgiven taxpayers and
| stricken from the rolls because, for
| sooth, they were the fortunate posses
| sors of some millions of dollars of per
sonal property as welTas the recipients
1
the operation of the offset the revenue
actually available for public eXpendi
lures during the last eight years would
! have been increased from income lax
alton by over SD, 100000 and the gen.
eraI property tax decreased by the
same amount"
Max w. rabbi, Milwaukee, in OPP
position, declared that Wisconsin paid
higher taxes than business men Of sur
rounding states. The repeal of the per
sonal property Offset would produce
| $3.000,000 more revenue.
Frank l.. Gilbert, Madison, repre-
senting the Retail Drygoods' associa-
ton, the Retail Show Dealers assocja-
ton and the Retail Clothiers' aSSoCia-
tion of the state, said that retailers
earnestly and strenuously object TO
passage of the Hanson bill
Chairman w II. Edwards of the tax
commission said that he did not believe
these bills could be reported 10 the
house before the end of the week. No
one has been able to determine Eheth-
or the report Of the committee will be
favorable upC. these bills or not. 1T
the income tax bills are beaten it
means that this legislature must pro-
vide other means Of securing revenue
or it must increase the general prop
erty taxes. The vote on these meas
ures will be the crucial test Of the ad
ministration.
Urges That State Own Armories.
State med armories were adyo-
Gated by AGjutant General Holway Of
the Wisconsin National guard before
the legislative joint finance committee. /
The state owns no arnories at this
time, he said. but II the committee
would allow some Of the funds to he /
diverted. ,he could purchase a few by /
paying OFF the mortgages. There IS I
one armory worth $4,000 that can be /
purchased if the state pays the $1,000 /