The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-07-12
AS Others See 1t
DIRECT TAXATION ADVANTAGES

Every and then reminded by agents of
Uncle Sam that certain is due and payable the
government The government needs the money, but for
what specific purposes it needs 1.-THE average person
cannot say with accuracy. lie has hazy idea that
what he pays in is being squandered For that
he feels he is justified in making kick every time he
pays taxes-natonal, state, county city There
few patriots at taxpaying time.
Objection is not made on amount Of money he must
pay lie will spend fifty dollars for fun in a
poker game, lose his favorite baseball team, do
nate it TO charitable or civic purpose-that's
spending money But under present system of tax
alton the tax notice had just well be notice Of
money extraction eXtorton to thousands of American
tax payers The tax morale OF Americans is not what
it should be- 1t would be worth much to the United
States if it changed but likely never will be
better as long the present method is in practice
In dealing with this subject the Tampa Times quite
sensibly declares in 4 recent utterance:
What will reduce our taxes?
And in two words answer-"direct taxation
and the definition that phrase two words is
Sales Tax"
Our present vicious tax laws place penalty on
ings--a sales tax places it where it beongson spend
ing The you spend the you pay. The
millionaire the spendthrift will pay in proportion to
what he spends or wastes The thrifty, careful family
man will pay only his just and equitable part Of the
burden The payment and collection of the would
simplicity itself and therein lies of the
why congress will not enact it. For with a sales tax
ON our statute books thousands and of thousands
of useless bookkeepers accountants investigators and
other political plum eaters would be out of luck An
other reason and far to seek, is. that with the
individual brought into direct and daily contact with
the tax would threaten that mghtiest of
weapons the vote and demand and obtain a reduction
in government expenses that would be Immediately and
pleasantly reflected in his bank account.
But You argue, Us It's UntYied. Nay friend it's
as old as the hills You paying sales tax today,
You paid q sales yesterday decade ago you
paying it. Your tariff is sales And to bring it
nearer YOU paid today if you bought box OF matches,
and, stranger still, you paid it when YOU bought your
morning cup of coffee And then you paid it to for
egn power-you paid it to the Republic of Brazil and
you have been paying her sales tax for years and
never knew it.
During the past few months the people Of BgaZ have
borrowed in these United some hundred million
dollars and the form of its obligation eight per
cent bond But the security in back Of that bond the
equity that made it marketable and gave il value
the sales tax Brazil put her coffee exports and per
mits you pay and that is propC:tionately higher
than any sales your Uncle Sam would need to levy
to care his budget and pork barrel When Brazil
sold US those bonds she worried concerned
going to pay her sales that would for both
and she was merely collecting il in advance to meet
her immediate needs.