The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-06-09

clean when dangers of a tie-yote are
past.
A witness before the senate finance
committee declared hat big business
is now attempting to shift the burden
Of the war and the cost of government
from it's shoulders to the backs Of
working men and women through the
creation of the so-called sales aX. The
of taxation is defined by still another
witness as an attempt ito transfer the
taxes on the luxuries to the dinner
| pail of the poor, a tax off the diamond
shirt stud and onto the bone collar
button" People who talk about taxes
usually ~eeneraliZe in about this man
ner, and it is pretty hard to get much
in the way of facts from which n
may form sober opinions. But as the
debate warns up in Washington 1t ap-
pears that some of the large property
interests that are obliged to pay ex-
cess profits taxes are attempting to
WlSSIe Out HUH ullhtI ilIS l'Ppoiol
bility to the government. 1t is claimed
that nearly a billion dollars in taxes
remains uncollected because of defects
in the existing tax collecting system.
This Is one of the reasons why law
makers are seeking a more direct
method than hat of the excess profits
tax to relieve the financial problems
Of the government. 1t is apparent,
however, that the opposition to the
sales tax is growing every day, be-
cause of the belief that is expressed
above that the bone collar button Is
already doing it's tax duties.
There seems to be as many people
looking for relief from taxation as
there are those in search of drinks.
And ethically, both OF these classes
are out of order. Every time it comes
to paying taxes we seem to have one
OF those cases which gave origin to
the wag remark, Let George do it."
The secretary of the treasury in a
recent letter to congress asked for
legislation to forbid the issuance OF
any more tax exempt securities by
anybody. OF course his is not a case
Of locking the stable after the horse
is stolen, but It comes pretty close
to il in view of the fact that $4,000.
00O, 900 of tax exempt securities are
outstanding. Every time that a gas,
electric light or a street railway com
pany wishes to loaf bonds for an ex-
tension OF their facilities or lines they
are faced with the law limiting them
to a return on their investments OF
not over eight per cent. And all their
properties and securities are taxable.
With municipalities and the govern
ment having outstanding securities
yielding six and seven per cent upon
their ~purchasable value the public
utilities stand a mighty poor chance
to get by and push their developments
and keep up with the growth OF the
country, in the face of this kind Of
financial competition.
While congress is figuring out new
schemes and devices under he title
of excess profits taxes" and sales
tax etc, it is apparent to the tinan-
cial and business interests Of the
country that the big subject of tax
exemptions should not overlooked.
The war department is vigorously
defending its publication Of the draft
desertion lists. 1t has been made to
appear through the public press that
the list contained a large number or
names OF men who performed their
part in the war and were not de-
serters. Where the department has
found that its lists were in error pub
lie apologies have been made in the