Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-28
COOLIDGE LIKELY TO VETO
TAX BILL MAKING PUBLIC
PROPERTY OF PAYMENTS
Treasury Department Has
Guarded Returns Jealous
Iy and viii Not Consent to
Scrutiny by Congress
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Ieased Wire Service to The Journal.)

Copyright, 1924
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26.-The
Coolidge administration will never
consent to the provision inserted by
the house in the pending tax bill
making income tax returns avail
able to a special committee Of con.
gress.
The opposition to the move from
the treasury is so emphatic that this,
together with other objectionable fea-
lures in the tax bill, may be the
basis for a veto message from the
White House.
Should congress have the right to
throw open to the public gaze the
private affairs of the American peo-
pile? Should one business concern
engaged in sharp competition with
another and possessed of influence
in congress sufficient to get at the
income tax returns be enabled to
get facts and figures on rival con-
Germs? Should members of congress
be given new ammunition with
which to attack private business?
These questions are answered In
the negative by administration Of
ficials who think that income tax
returns should be kept secret. In
deed, the treasury department has
heretofore refused point blank to
furnish the income tax returns to
anv other branch of the federal gov
eminent itself, even the department
Of Justice. Time and again the lat
ter has felt that without sufficient
evidence to catch bootleggers under
the provisions of the Volstead act,
fraudulent income tax return
might land the "bootlegger" in Jail.
1t has been with difficulty and
through roundabout court proceed
ings that any information has been
obtained and usually the treasury de-
partment has preferred to do its own
prosecuting of such cases upon In
formation furnished by the depart
ment of justice.
So jealousy guarded have income
tax returns become in the last ten
years that the thought OF making
them available to a committee of
congress goes against the grain
here. There Is some reason to be-
lieve that the senate will throw out
the amendment, and that it will be
lost in conference between the two
houses. If it stays in the bill it may
force a veto.
While there are men on Capitol
Hill who are saying President Cool
idge will not dare to veto any tax
bill that comes before him, they are
likely to be surprised when they re-
ceive a veto message. Mr.. Coolidge
knows that the argument can work
both ways, namely that congress
cannot afford to kill tax legislation
any more than can the chief 'eXecu
tive, and that ifo he sends back a
bill to congress urging that objection
able features be eliminated, congress
will change the bill or stand pat on
the measure passed depending upon
whether the objections are supported
by public opinion.
On the issue of publicity Of private
affairs, the administration has no
doubt of the ultimate support Of the
people. The business interests of
the county will fight the proposal
tooth and nail, for if the income tax
returns are made available to a con-
gressional committee 1t will mean
the use of the same information in
a dozen different channels entirely
apart from the income tax. The in
come of corporations, partnerships
and all business concerns might have
to undergo some day the scrutiny of
tariff experts anxious to prove that
certain traffic duties should be
raised or lowered and other contro-
VERSES may be stirred up by the
use or misuse of information obtain
ed from income tax returns.
On the whole, the administration
opposed to letting go the confidential
information given by the taxpayer
to his government.