Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-01-28
BILL WOULD AID
STATE s REVENUES
Repeal of Personal Property Off
set to Income Taxes Proposed.
BLAINE MAKES APPOINTMENTS
Names J. Q. Emery Dairy and Food
Commissioner and Miss M. {. Nep-
rud Member of Board of Control
State Seeks New Revenues.
BY Fred HOLMES.

Madison, JAM 26.-The repeal of the
| personal property offset to the income
taxes of individuals and corporations
as proposed by Assemblyman G. p.
Hanson of Pierce county will add from
$3,000O00 to $5,000000 to the revenues
which will be collected in taxes in
| Wisconsin. This is one of the big
tax reforms of the session. By the
| terms of the income tax law enacted
by the state in 1911 the amount of
/ taxes assessed against an individual
or corporation on personal property
could be used as an ''offset" against
/ their income tax assessment.
Ten years experience shows that AZ
per cent of the income taxes assessed
| in the state are "offset" and that
only 81 per cent of the income taxes
assessed are collected in cash. The
| total amount of income taxes levied
in Wisconsin from 1918 to 1920 inclus-
i've was $53, 142, 255.14 OF this amount
/ $29,697, 259.l6 was collected in cash.
| In 1920 the amount of the "Offset"
amounted to $5,371, 606.41. From this
data, it is evident that for the seven
years from 1913 to 1920 the average
| amount of the "offset' amounted to
over $3,OO0OO0 annually.
! There is a great demand on the part
of the state to find new revenues to
meet the increased cost of government.
The various boards, departments, insti-
! tutions and educational establishments
of the state have filed requests with
the legislature for ST., 1876, 482 for the
biennium. To meet these requests the
| present sources Of taxation in the
| state, if not changed would produce
| $56,OOO,000. The sum of approximate
| " $15,000,000 would have to be raised
elsewhere. The legislature plans to
| reduce the requests of the depart
ments by a considerable sum- but
there will still be need for other
tax sources and to meet this demand,
| Assemblyman Hanson is proposing the
repeal of the "offset" to the income
tax law. This bill is one of the big
measures of the session. 1t was
recommended by Gov. John J. Blaine
in his message and it has the approval
of the state tax commission Such a
bill was defeated two years ago.
Gov. John J. Blaine sent his first
appointments to the senate as fol-
lows.
J. O. Emery, state dairy and food
commissioner, term two years and sal
airy $4,000 annually.
Miss Maud e. Neprud, Viroqua,
| woman member of state board Of con-
troll, salary $1,000 annually, term six
years.
Mr. Emery takes the place of George
| u. Weigle, Milwaukee, who has held
the position of state dairy and food
commissioner for the past six years.
Miss Neprud is the present woman
/ member of the state board of control.
She was appointed two years ago by
Gov. e. L. Philip. These appoint
lments must be confirmed by the sen
ate before they become effective.
Prior to the Philip administration
of 1915 Mr.. Emery, farmer of Albion,
Dane county, held the position of state
dairy and food commissioner for a
number of years. Before that he was
| state superintendent of schools for
Wisconsin. The reappointment of Mr..
Emery for the position was endorsed
by the dairy organizations and lead
ing farm papers of the, state, all of
| which have filed resolutions with the
governor in favor of his appointment.
Miss Neprud is one of the highest
salaried women in the state service.
She is thirty years old. She received
her elementary education in the La
| Crosse high schol and the La Crosse
normal schol and then graduated from
the University of Wisconsin in 1914.
For two terms she was county super
| intendent of schools in Vernon county.
| A plan to return to the annual cleo
| ton of all town officers will be pro-
posed in a bill this week by Assembly
man John Camper, Taylor county.
Several years ago the legislature
passed bill leaving it to counties to
adopt a plan whereby town officers
might be elected for a term Of three
years.
The whole subject of dog license
taxes will again be threshed out in the
| Wisconsin legislature. This subject
| attracts more attention and debate
than some of the larger taxation meas
| lures. Assemblyman William Olson.
Green county, has opened way for
making the dog license law optional
and it is claimed by some that if this
bill is enacted that few if any coun-
ties will retain the law.
The dog license law as compulsory
measure has been in operation less
| than a year. The farmers claim that
| it has caused much dissatisfaction,
| The present law fixes the dog license
| fee at So for female dog and So for
| male. The Olson bill would make
the uniform fee So. These fees as now
| collected are placed in fund in each
county to pay indemnity to persons
| who have sheep, cattles and horses
killed or. injured by dogs. The sheep
men of northern Wisconsin have al
ways urged the enactment of such a
law.