Americus times-recorder., 1923-07-19
SERIOUS TAX NUDDLE
MAY BE CREATED If
EQUALIZATION ENDED
Opponensa Of Measure Say Re
peal Bill Would Leave State
VVTvI..ttIii0zt Tax Machinery
RE-ENACT OLD STATUTES
This Declared to Be Necessary
Before Present Law Can Be
Repealed


ATLANTA, July 19-f the SEN
ate passes the house bill repeating
the tax equalization law and Gov
ernor Walker signs the measure,
opponents Of the repeal bill today
expressed the opinion that Georgia
will face aSserious tax muddle, in
volving a disability that the state
may not be able to collect any taxes
at all next year.
According to opponents of the re-
peal measure the passage of the act
would not re-enact the statutes IN
effect before the present tax gath
| ering system was adopted, as is
| claimed by proponents of the meas
ure, and that the state would there
fore be entirely without tax gather
ing machinery. The situation is re
garded as one involving serious pos
, sibilities, and is being given deep
consideration among leaders in the
legislature, it became known here
this afternsen.
The house OF, representatives yes
terday finished the vote which re-
peals the state tax equalization law
-121 voting for repeal and II
voting against it. While this does
not mean the fight which has been
made an issue in the late state
campaign and was an issue in the
last legislature is over, it puts down
the record that two successive
house memberships have gone on
record as fayoring if not actually
demanding the repeal Of the law.
Measured against the action of the
the senate, it means, too that the
two branches are in identically the
same position they were last year.
The upper branch is standing pat
tbs year for enactment and ratifi-
cation of the income tax Jaw be-
fore the present system now,
whether there is anything else set
up or not.
In reality the fight to destroy
the present law has been in serious
progress the past four years, but
not until last year were the re-
realists able to get strength
enough the force through a bill to
vote, when the Watkins bill, by
the then representative from Butts,
was passed after being hung up
| throughout half the first session,
| over the recess period and until the
/ last half Of the session of last year.
! There probably has never been a
more persistent fight for the wip-
ing out of any state measure equal
J TO this one, its nearest approach
in all likelihood being the long and
hard fight to wipe out the conyict
lease system.
By almost unanimous vote the
house ways and means committee
Wednesday vote to recommend for
passage the group of bills intorduc-
cd by Kempton, of Fulton, and
Harris, Of Jefferson, which would
wipe out the new classes of Con-
! federate pensioners.
These bills, four in number, are
designed to restore the old limits
on veterans eligible for state PEN
sion. They agpin limit pensions
| for widows of Confederates to
those who were married before
1870, instead of 1881, as now, and
restore the provision barring pen
sions from those owning property
valued at $1,000 or more. They
place the pension rate at 500 PEI
year, removing the graduated
scales of increases provided under
the acts of 1920.
The two authors of the bills
spoke briefly before the commit.
tee and it was evident from the
start that sentiment was strongly
in favor Of passage of the bills
1t seems to be the concensus Of
opinion that the state was abso
lutely unable to pay both classe.
and that it would be better to pay
the original class, which was ad
mitted as needing the pension.
worst, than to deprive them in fu-
tile effort to pay both classes.
Representative DeLaTferre, Of
jackson. and Representative Logan,
of Banks, today introduced a bill
which would make it a felony to So
solicit labor in Georgia for removal
to other states. The bill provides the
term Of imprisonment for violation
of its provisions shall be from three
/ to seven years on the chaingang a
| hard labor.