Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1922-03-15
Reduced Five Mills.

Reduced Five Mills.
The reduction of the state tax levy
on property from twelve to seven
mills is considerable, it is radical, it
is enough to afford more, than negli-
gible relief to harassed and distress,
ed owners of lands, houses and other
visible objects. 1t is rather more than
was looked for six months Of a week
ago.-though not so much as the peo-
pie were hopeful of when the General
Assembly convened and the new rev.
enue measures were presented.
The defeat by the SENATE of the
proposed taxes on theatre tickets, on
hydro-electric power production and,
especially, on sales of luxuries, pre-
vented the reduction to five mills or
less.
The luxury sales tax would have
raised about S1,OOO,0 600. 1t would
have shrunk the amount of taxes to be
paid by property owners from 49,
$4,000 to s2,164,Ooo Approximately
it would have produced the money re-
CURED by the states colleges. 1t
would have been a voluntary tax
which no one would have paid who
did not choose to pay it. The senate
was not opposed to it on principle
or it would not have enacted the sales
tax on gasoline, an article having less
if the quality of luxury than tobacco
or soda water.
Rejection of the luxury sales tax
and other parts of the house program
compelled the senate to agree 10 a
drastic and onerous income tax rate.
It's burden will fall on the same per-
sons already heavily taxed by the fed
eral governmental them the senate
was merciless. It had no other re-
course than to enact this tax. Having
yielded to the clamor of a small class
of interested parties in killing other
methods of taxation, it was too tim
orus not to lift a million from tan
gible property. Abandoning pretense
to initiative or ability of it's own to
frame a budget bill, it frankly sought
refuge in the act of congress of 1921
and proceeded to "soak" the people
that it Soaked" depending on the
federal law to arrive at the figure
which the state income tax should be.
A state income tax was the least de-
sirable of the methods to raise rev
enue. offered. When a convention of
taxpayers met here last December it
was the least popular of the taxes
proposed. The senate's course was
not exactly valiant or original, but
having allowed itself to be driven into
a hole, it's case was that celebrated
n of
The poor benlghted Hlndoo,
He does the best he kin do
He sticks to his caste
From the first to the last,
And for his pants he lets his skin do.
Of course the senate wa right to
pass the income tax. Not to afford
the farmers substantial relief would
have been outrageous-though, had it
not been for the firm stand of the
house, backed by the press, it is not
by any means certain that the senate
would have dore anything
The States opinion was that if the
senate could not accept the houses
plan, it's duty was to propose a plan
of revenue production or tax reduc-
ton of its own, eve though the al
tentative were to close or grievously
cripple state institutions. 1t did Meth
er. 1t compromised. In the end, it fled
from the farmers and borrowed the
cudgel of the federal government to
club those South Carolinians that it
clubs. Hydro-electric power produc-
ers, theaters, tobacconists and soda
water. sellers, they rise UP and call
the senate blessed. Meantime, not
much can be had from incomes unless
incomes there shall be.
But the levy has been reduced by
five mills. That is an achievement.
That, in the present crisis of agricul-
ture, something, though not enough,
has been done to assist the farmers,
is cause to rejoice.-The State.
What the Reds Are KICKING At