Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-02-15
General Assembly Faces the
Responsibility of Lower
ing State Levy.

IGrdl ASSEMBLY LOIIlO11oW VIII IN eAN
senate faced with >the sole response
bility of lowering the state levy on
visible tangible property, from its
present levy of IL mills to three or
four mills. The early passage of the
luxuries tax bill by the house is now
certain and once the house has. sent
this measure to the senate the ways
and means committee can safely rest
on its %laurels, having in the two years
successfully /, drawn and passed
Through the house the entire series of
new revenue measures, which it is es-
timated by members of the commit
tee, will produce funds sufficient to
eventually eliminate the state tax on
visible property, which it is pointed
out, has until now been forced to
bear an unjust and unequal proper
ton of the expenses of the state and
county governments. The elimination
of visible property from the tax
sources of the state would allow the
counties to raise their needed reve-
nues from this source and to do with
out undue hardships upon the owners
of such tangible property.
Two of these tax bills, the inheri-
lance tax measure and the gasoline
tax bill, have been passed by both
houses, but both were amended so as
to arouse opposition in the lower
house and so be thrown before con-
ference committees. The retroactive
clause of the inheritance tax, which
would have made it an immediate rev.
enue producer, was eliminated by the
senate, which also amended the gaso-
line. tax so as to increase the tax on
gasoline from one cent to two cents
a gallon, to eliminate the tax on kero-
sene and crude oils and to divide the
revenue so obtained equally between
the state and counties. It is this last
provision that has aroused the ire of
certain members of the house who
see in it only an effort on the part of
other members of the general assem-
bly, "to play politics. for the benefit
of the "folks back home" and de-
decrease the county property levies
1.-THE expense of the state levy. The
arguments of the opponents tof this
division of the revenue derived from
the tax were epitomized in the state
ment of Senator Jerimiah Smith that
s'two and two are four"
The corporation license bill, which
passed the house without a single
dissenting vote, has so far been vic
torious in the senate, having success
fully survived a vigorous attack on
second reading. 1t was ~passedson third
reading and ordered enrolled fpr rat
ifcation without further opposition
only to be recalled later upon the mo-
ton of Senator Baker, who has inti-|
mated that he is prepared to take up
his cudgel against the measure once
again. The bill has therefore, again
taken its place on the senate calendar
which also now contains the income
tax bill, the foreign corporation Ii
cense measure and the hydro-electric
tax bill, al of which r to be given
the Fight of way ove all measures
this week. The motion picture license {
bill has met with formidable opposi-
ton in the senate and is not expected
to survive the attack, despite the eff {
forts If Representative E. A. Brown, {
the suthor of the bill, to secure its S
passage by the upper house as he Sc +
cured its passage in the lower body.
."Tle senate" Mr.. Brown charged in
tn, course of his debate in opposition
to the luXuries tax measure, which,
aso seeks to tax motion pictures, Z
has messed up the motion picture {
oill as it messes up everything we !
send them" y
The Wells resolution to postpone {
he payment of state and county tax +.
IS, which has received the approval of
both houses, is also in the hands of a
conference committee, which, : charg-
I'd with making a correction in the IT,
lie, which inadvertently escaped the /
notice of the proponents of the meas &
Ire when it was under consideration I
~ the lower house. The house during =.
he week sent to the senate a joint
resolution empowering county %treas-Tl
1rers to borrow funds needed to con- t
;inue the operation of schools in the /
state. The postponementN of the pay
nent of taxes. it was argued, might