Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-12-13
Wesley R. Walker
On Tax Question
Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise:

| am sure the columns OF your pa
per are open for the discussion of pub
lie questions that are good or dctrimen-
tai to the people OF the State. or the
| counties of the State or nation; that
being true and that there is now pend
ing before the Georgia Legislature a
question OF vital importance. the aues-
ton OF taxation. The people are burd-
ened down with taxes; the load is
getting too heavy to carry. Governor
Clifford Walker called an extra SEES
sion of the Legislature to revise the
tax system, having been elected on
pledges to place i'll operation a differ
cnt system of taxation and to repeal
the lax Equalization law. In like man
ner was Ex-Governor Thomas w.
1ardWtck elected to reform the tax
System and wipe out all useless and
needless salaried men Of the State that
were sapping the treasury of the money
paid in by the tax payers, thai could
be spent for the good of the State
whereas. it now goes under the red
tape system to paid agents. political
agents, travelling over the state. said to
be holding some state job. and Hard
wick failed. The question now is. "Will
Walker Fail?" If present attitude Of
the political parties, both national and
state keep up the people ought to
rebel against their acts and refuse to
tolerate their actions any longer. The
people are sore and tired of paving the
expenses of their political folly. The
Georgia Legislature has been in sess-
mo for more than thirty DAYS and are
sun wrangiing over single bill, The
Income Tax Bill. There are some
great men in both branches of the
| General Assembly, men with head
tull of brains, men that were repre-
senting their counties during the four
wears that | endeavorcd to represent
my county in lo15-16-17-18 (the coun-
ty OF Ben HID, they are yet there
and with greater experience and
knowledge 1t strikes me to place in
operation a just tax law Yet we must
not forget that great minds and
knowledge does not always grasp the
same thought nor run along the same
channel 10 gain or work out the same
proposition There SEEMS to be two
distinct factions in the Legislature
one for a Net Income Tax and the
other for Gross Income Tax. I have
not read the Bill and cannot argue
the point further than to say that a
Net Income Tax Law is the only lust
and fair law that could ever be placed
on the statute books of the state and
II were in the legislature at this
time while the opportunity affords it.
self, | would endeavor to- write into
this constitutional amendment pro
wise that no county authorities should
levy a tax on anything but a Net
Income on the business done in the
county, the only just way to finance
county. The ad valorem tax system
reaps disaster and ruins the prosperi-
ty of the people Thousands of business
men and tens of thousands farmers
have sacrificed their business and their
farms and their homes under the ad
valorem tax system, their property be-
ing sold at the Court House door for
taxes at a song. The poor fellow lost
all his hard earned money he purchas-
ed his property with, no income on his
investment he sacrificed here and sac
r'nccd there until he had nothing to
sacrifice any more and the land had
to 90, his home, his all Thousands of
good law-abiding citizens who have
nothing but their household goods,
who rent their homes from the rich
(who have an income to build hous-
es to tent for additional income) but
because their labor do not bring them
an income over and above their house
rent and living expenses They cannot
pay heavy adj valorem tax levied
by the county; their household goods
are sold at the Court House door for
axes. 1t is an unjust law that takes
from a citizen his accumulations at
home that he is endeavoring to COM
for, his family with Just because he
has not sufficient income to meet
The demand of en- unreasonable tax. 1t
must come or he is deprived of the
right to exercise his freedom as an
American citizen at the ballot box to
vote. The gross income tax would
bring the same results and should not
pass. When il costs a farmer more to
produce drop than he can get out
OF it ard then have to pay an income
tax on the gross returns of his farm
or any other bus ness where is that
man driftine9 To bankruptcy and ruin.
And the county ad valorem tax yet
to come on top of all that, How long
does the legislature think a citizen
can sacrifice before his possessions are
all gone into the hands of the great
money centers of the country? 1t is
the county tax that hurts the people
the most. With an income tax system