The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-05-17
SHOWS POINTS
OF TAX BILLS
AssembIyman Brings Back
Interesting Comparison
of Bills.


Awake all of the time to watch for
news of interest to his constituents,
Assemblyman Conrad Shearer has
brought to Kenosha from Madison a
most interesting article setting forth
the various points of the three tax
bills now being considered by the leg
islature-the Dahl bin, the Severson
bill and Governor Blaine's bill, This
outline of the three bills is printed
here that residents of Kenosha may
become acquainted with the points
at issue in the tax fight before
the legislature.
Here are the provisions of the
three bills:
Dahl Bill.
/. It seeks to double the total
amount of tax received from incomes
and relieve general property to that
extent. This re-establishes the ratio
that existed between income taxes and
property taxes when the income tax
law was enacted in 1911. The average
state tax rate on property was oil then.
1t is .021 MOVE nearly double. This
is the reason for doubling the income
taxes and using the increase to
lower property taxes by cutting out
the mill taxes. e 4
2. 1t repeats the surtaxes now on
property-the so-called mill taxes.
They are: 7/10 mills on all property
for aid to common schools; 3/8 mills
for the university and 1I6 mills for
the normal schools. These mill taxes
levied this year amount to the fol-
lowing amounts in round numbers !:
For common schools s7/1O
mills =. .......... SO, 600
University 3I8 mills 80. 1,749,00O
Normals 1/6 mills 49,. 777,000
$5,591,O 900
The Dahl bill lifts this 1851, 900
tax off property and puts it on in
comes. 1t amounts to reduction of
S1.2o per thousand dollars vaiua-
ton on all properly. The bill does
this in the following way:
-1a) 1t repeats the personal
property offset.
(b) 1t repeats all mill taxes
and all surtaxes on income in
GLIDING the teachers retirement
fund surtax.
(c) It put fat rate of &c on
corporations.
(d) It repeats the old rates on
individuals and establishes new
rates running from 30 on the
first $1,000 and 2o9o on all above
$4,000.
(e) It repeats the provision ex-
empting dividends from taxation,
(f) 1t changes the distribution
to 5000 to state. 1879 to county,
and 403o to locality instead of 10,
20 and 70 under present law
(g) The $500 which goes to the
state is put into special fund
from which appropriations are
made to wipe out the mill taxes,
(h) An appropriation Of $1,000,
900 is also made out Of this fund
for the teachers, retirement fund
and the present surtax for that
purpose is repealed.
ID In the bill originally the
exemption to a family was raised
from $1,000 to $1,000, and child
rem and dependents from 5000 to
$500. The rates were figured on
that basis. The bill was amended
to put exemptions back to where
they are now. This will allow
cut Of corporation tax to 400 or
reduction of the rates on indi-
viduals to 1870, or possibly 1870
for the highest rate,
8. The tax results of the bill as
drawn would be to raise about $12,-
100000 from income taxes. 5OGo or
nearly $6,500,00O would be paid into
the state treasury. The other half
would remain 4O%o in the locality and
1920 to the county. This would leave
the localities with about the same
amount of income tax as now aid
would relieve property everywhere
from the burden of the state tax.
This amounts to from 5Go to SEE of the
total in cities and villages and from
1870 to- 1870 in the country towns,
Severson Bill.
The Seyerson bill aims to do the
same thing by somewhat different
method
/. 1t leaves the rates In the income
tax law the same as at present.
z. It repeats the teachers retire