The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-21
Painlessly Plucked.
From the Morning Oresonidn.

THE act Of taxation consists IN 81
plucking the goose ii. e. the people) a
J TO procure the largest quantity Of feath
ers with the least possible amount ol
squealing."
The cynical remark is credited TO Jean
Baptiste Colbert. minister OF hnanct
under Louis XIV. Ii is therefore about
$50 years old. II still goes.
! 1t is worthy Of notice. however, thai
the celebrated minister Of finance fail
ed to make good on his maxim. II
was his duty TO find the money TO pay
for Louis disastrous wars and in doing
il the people were so oppressed with
taxes that when he died they were re-
strained with difficulty from tearing his
body to- pieces.
We<are a tolerant people and We also
take few lessons from history. Probably
we shall rend no one TO pieces. be he
dead or alive, but here We are with
federal. state and local taxes consuming
the value Of all the grain, forage, po-
tatoes. vegetables, garden truck and half
the fruit we produce, yet our lawgivers.
operating through the initiative, attempt
to appease our squealing, not by re-
moving fewer feathers, but by plucking
the same quantity from the same goose
in different way.
There are three tax measures on the
ballot: an income tax amendment, an
income tax law and single tax meas
ure. The only promise in them is that
they will remove the feathers little less
painfully.
Both income tax measures are appar-
emily designed TO raise no more money
than is at present raised. Whether the
income tax amendment. offered by the
taxpayers league, achieves that slight
concession, is somewhat clouded. if one
cares to be technical, by the wording
Of the amendment.
Property taxes and income taxes, it
declares, are not to yield a greater sum
than is now authorized" by the consti-
tuition. The constitution authorizes"
nothing in the way Of taxation. The
right Of the state to tax the necessities |
Of government is inherent. The right is |
and has been exercised by the people |
direct and by the people through the
legislature, without let, or sanction or
from the constitution. The
does not authorize the leg
slature to do what it is inherently au-
lhorized to do. 1t merely restricts and
limits that authority. 1t does not on
he other hand. limit the authority Of
he people to increase taxation by their
1Otes.
Regardless Of word-meanings, there is
Jet to be considered the invariable ten
iency Of new revenues to become ad- I
iitional revenues, even though they be
levied as substitute revenues.
Whenever the process Of plucking the
Gathers becomes less painful. we prompt.
y proceed to pluck more feathers. III
an be done under the amendment. |,
The amendment requires that all state
axes shall be raised in equal amounts
rom a direct property tax and an in.
ome tax. As already said, the people
ire not restrained from voting a meas
Ire TO increase state taxes. Whatever
imitation there may be is a Limitation
N the legislature, and even that limita-
ion can be removed or set forward a
lotch at any general election by simple
'rocess Of voting an amendment to the
constitution.
Meanwhile it will cost enormously to i.
ollect an income tax. Scientific pluck
ng comes high. If income tax and
property tax together produce no more
evenue than taxes produce as at present
evied, we shall have to cut state ex- +.
'enditures elsewhere in order to get the |:
money to pay for the less painful pluck
ng. Or We shall have to increase taxes
'ecause they cost more to collect.