The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1922-07-20
Candidate Pierce and Tax
alton.
(The Oregonian,)

kIHt OftSUHIdt'l
The chairman did me the COM
pliment of saying that if I'm elected
governor, said Candidate Pierce to
the Portland Democratic club, Sat-
urday, q will effect reduction of
taxes. Now, don't know whether
or not this is possible. You ask,
how much can the load be tighten
ed? Not very much, but it can be
prevented from going much higher,
| will see to that"
1t is unfortunate that the swirl of
effort and sentiment for tax reduc-
ton so often centers around the can
didacy of some person for an office
that is conspicuous in many respects
but poorly endowed with the func-
ton of determining the amount of
taxes.
The power of the governor of Or
egon over taxation rests almost
wholly in the veto. He can recon-
mend legislation that will promote
economy but he can force an indif-
ferent legislature to act on his rec
concentrations only by threats to use
the veto on other legislation, which
threats if carried out might in them
selves work an injury to the state.
As has often been pointed out,
the incidence of high taxation is due
in minor part to appropriations made
by the legislature. The tax total in
cludes levies made by counties, cit
les, school districts, ports, road dis
tricts, and mileage taxes voted by the
people themselves.
The total levied for all purposes
in 1921 is estimated to have been
about 100000. Of this amount
less than $3,000,000 passed under
the scrutiny of the governor, Less
than S3,000,000 or about 7 per cent
was subject in any part to his veto.
The legislature can amend laws
and enact others that will promote
economy in the lesser subdivisions.
The governor cannot. He can only
urge that all it be done and sign the
bills if they are passed.
But not so accurate was Mr.
Pierce's statement that there's only
one tax that a fellow can't pass on,
and that's an income tax" 1t is true
Of an income tax assessed against
salaries and wages but when it is
assessed against public utility, for
example, it must be passed on to the
consumer as a matter of law and rate
regulation. And he who invests in
houses, lands or buildings for the
purpose Of deriving an income from
tenants can as readily take into &C
count in fixing rents that which he
must pay in income tax as that which
he must pay in general property tax
Likewise the merchant is as fully
able to tack his income tax to the
price of the goods he sells as he is
to tack on his property tax.
Mr.. Pierce passes lightly over OBJ
vious defects in the graduated in.
come tax bill. They can be corrected
by the people are sacrosanct. The
enough they can But the ques-
ton is will they be corrected? There
has been carefully nurtured in Ore.
gon the theory that laws enacted
by the people are aacrosanct. The
legislature must not repeal or amend
them lest it defile the will Of the
people, and Mr.. Pierce's remarks
arouse natural curiosity as to the
particulars in which he comedies tha
the income tax measure is defective
What amendments will he recon
mend if he be elected governor? We
ask to know.
Yet the tax distress Of the people
is due largely to the amount of the
tax and very little to how its assess
ment is distributed. The latter i: