The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-04-12
Urges Support of League
Municipalities Bill in
Its Place.
WOULD SHARE MONEY
Claim Is Made that Bill Makes
an Unjust Division of the
Monies Collected.

Fighting the highway bill which has
been proposed by the state administra-
ton, Kenosha will officially give It's
support to the highway taxation bill
urged before the state senate by the
Leagus of Wisconsin Municipalities, ac-
eording to the statement made this
morning by City Manager c. ~. Osborn
This is in keeping with the aetSen tax
en- recently by the city council when
it authorized the city manager and the
city attorney to go to Madison and APP
pear before the proper committee to
urge the passage of the highway bill
suggested by the league. It is claimed
that the leagues measure is the only
one which presents a division of the
funds which would in any way be faiI
to the larger cities of the state,
1t is expected that the main opposi-
ton to the joint highway taxation bill
known as 2S3-S will come from the
counties in which the large cities are
located and from the large cities, chief
among them being Milwaukee, Racine,
Kenosha and Madison.
Features of unjust" Bill
Some of the features of the So
called unjust" taxation bill are to be
hard fought, say the city officials, for
the reason they do not make provision
for the return of dollar to the cities,
the villages ard the towns in which the
tax is collected.
Secretary MacGregor of the League
of Wisconsin Municipalities in his let
ter to city clerks says:
"The densely populated counties,
where traffic is heavy, are taxed for the
benefit of sparsely populated counties
where the traffic is light"
He also stated in his letter that the
joint highway taxation measure dis
eliminates against the counties in
which the larger cities are located.
In his demonstration of that fact he
cites figures which prove that the coun-
ties collecting the least tax receive the
largest amount in return.
Milwaukee County Sets Rap.
The county of Milwaukee is hit hard
est and its representatives will fight
the measure in committee. The letter
of the secretary of the league shows
that it will pay into the state treasury
$487, 900 and receive in return the sum
of SIS ,0OO. Racine county fares some
what better. receiving from the state
the sum OF $4,000 out of the $4,000
which it will pay in.
Kenosha county will receive $4,000
out of the $46,700 it will pay in under
the joint highway taxation law.
The cities will not receive cent of
that money, however, and like treat
ment will be accorded the villages and
towns. The county board will receive
the money returned and dispose of it
as it sees fit.
Conditions are vastly different under
the bill which has been prepared by
the municipal league and which will be
supported by the Kenosha and Racine
officials and officers of other cities.
Benefit Those Who Pay.
The provisions of that bill benefits
the communities which pay the tax, it
is pointed out. Under that bill the tax
on gasoline and on automobiles is dis
Tribute 1-retween the cities, towns, viii
FACES and the counties.\
Under its provisions rs per cent Of
the gasoline tax goes back to the cities
in which it is collected and the other
25 per cent to the county. In the mat
ter of automobile tax the cities, towns
ard villages get 10 per cent of the taX
ard the county the remaining 80 per
cent. It is that bill which the cities Of
the state are supporting and for which
they will fight before the senate COM
mittee Wednesday afternoon.