The Seward gateway., 1923-01-26
TAXES ABSORD ONE- s|XTHpF TOTAL
 INCOME
AVERAGE PERSON WORKS ONE DAY A WEEK, MEET TAX
 LEVY OF GOVERNMENT

WELLESLESLEY HILLS, Mass. Mass, Jan. 6--How much Of your pro ductive time during 1922 was used in paying taxes?
 Roger Babson, statistician, answers this question today in statement that shows the equivalent of one houi in six, one day each week is spent to meet the direct and indirect taxes that nation, state. county and city levy upon each individual.
 "One hour and twenty minutes ot each business day--or one entire day a week is demanded of every able bodied person in the United States to maintain the government says MT. Babson. That is the lesson of a re- cent analysis showing that one-sixth of our federal income goes for taxes. The amount divides equally between national taxation and local purposes. The question is not. therefore, one Ci any party politics.
 This habit oT getting the goVeiH- ment to do something about it i5 one of the most costly and wasteful ideas that Americans have developed. 1t Ia5 grown upon us since the war. We be- came accustomed to things then tnaI would have had consideration before. Now we are exceeded by one nal'op oniy, Great Britain, in cur cost oi bt- ing governed There the uncmplo! trent doles and other le6iclation put onward by a stronger labor vote ha't exceeded any thing attempted here a. vet. But this tendency must be che.'-- ed abruptly if American business is to survive in the competition which it faces over the next five to ten years.
 Does Not Miss It
 Because any one individual does not see the tax collector he thinks perhaps that he does not pay, but he does pay, just the same. Taxation Is represented in high overhead Ill eV- erything any onebuys, or uses or con- sumes in process of working up to tt finished product. The tax burden Is inevitable. There are a certain num- Der of potential labor hours represent ed in the individual makeup Of any community. The number of theS bor hours which it takes to protect ms property, make safe his home and edu- cate his children are just so much taken away from the possibility of es tablishing that surplus of wealth upon which the community thrives.
 ..The truth of this situation was per rectlv clear in the old days Wh"' cry man was called on for five days work on the roads a year ln lieu oi taxes and when the nightwatch was maintained by periodic service ot the townsmen. How would you like to out and patrol police beat one day day each week year in and year out Or how would you like to take your turn as member of the fire depart snent one day in every six?
 ..This would be our lot ii we paiu our taxes in the old way today. Or, applying it to road work, nearly slx's days service would be required on the roads instead of five.
 Reason for High Costs
 What wonder living costs are hlgh when tnl., tell comes out ahead of the producti ,. cara iLy for benefit ol the community The actual taxation ooes not tell the whole story. Costs oi COT lection rt1tIcularly under our systei3 of c, .e :uon, sometimes treble ''e amount actually received by the gov ernment. Any move to restore excess nroG; taxes or special classified lev ies. on trade is bound to make the Sit ualion worse.
 I've snGu:i be able to make the pep rle unde.s,ard tEat fads and 1-1iis cost money it IS al! right to be progi es- siye in our ideas but it is not ai"asS true that progressive legislation IS all improvement over the old way Of tena- ;ny to our business at home. The country was swept by the cry for more business in government ana iess government in business We nave not as yet succeeded in edging govern ment very far toward the door of the business office.
 "A step toward remedying the con d;t;on of burdensome taxation which now hampers business would be to| let everybody know when they are paving taxes and how much