Evening star., 1924-02-27
CAN YOUR TAXES BE CUT?
Series of Articles the Cost of Government;
Where the Money Goes, and Why.
BY JOHN F. SINCLAIR,
Author Of Can Europe Hold Together %

for 1925 will not be in excess of ST.
200, 100000. exclusive of interest ana
postal service"
The estimates forty-flve days later
were s264.000.000 more than the max
imum fixed by the Chief Executive;
Only four departments out of total
of forty-three had requested less
funds for 1925 than for 1924. These
departments We're s,od the Tho lHifTS5h,g shinnin
Board, the United States Veterans
Bureau and the Department OF the
Interior.
How to cut out s264,oOo.ooO from
the estimates submitted before Sep.
tember Is. 1929. was the real 1ob or
Gen. Lord, as director Of the budget.
Could he do it? Immediately he saw
that reductions in APPROPRIATIONS
call for greater care and discrilliha
ton than increases. inasmuch as 10
cripple an important service by win :
holding Of necessary operating funds
is more harmful than If such an I'm, :.
portant activity were over hnahceu-
Brought Within Set Limit.
Step No. EVERY one OF the
1000 appropriation items in the an
nual budget. with their innumer-
able subdivisions, were given carer "
scrutiny and study. AS a result, d
reduced total was reached OF $l,oo''-
100000. This amount was lower than
the Presidents estimates, and $685.
000, 900 below the total preliminary
estimates submitted.
Each department was then allotted
the total amount in lump sum- 10
which it's original estimate had peeh
reduced.
Step No. 3.-This completed. the
President of the United States sent
letter to the executive headS
of the forty-three departments ana
bureaus directing that each one dis-
h. n
manner as best to provide for its own
activities.
Step No. 4.-The estimates of each
department were then remade ana
returned to the bureau Of the budge1
by September Is, 1923.
Step No. 5.-The next sixty days
were given over to continuous hear
ings. During this time all depart I
ment executives had a chance 10
be heard, If they desired any changes
made.
Step No The plan worked
admirably. The budget bureau sub
mitted to Congress the annual bud-
get of 1925 with Il total estimate OF
$1,645.00O, 900 for all purposes, eX-
elusive of the charges for public debt
and postal service. This is $31S.000.
900 less than the amount requested
by the forty three different depart
ments in the preliminary estimates
If we include interest ON the pupiiC
the total carried In the 1925 budget Is
$3,01S,000,000
Annual Surplus Is Rising.
Now Congress takes up the es-
Inmates and again a thorough check =
ing will be made. Congress can IN
crease the amounts or reduce the
amounts. or just pass it as outlined
In Congress rests final power OF ac-
ton But the hopeful part of the
budget movement is that once the
total has been submitted TO Con-
gress. under the budget law. no head
of department can appeal for IN
creased appropriations from Con
gress. He must appeal to the Presi-
dent who nav becomes, for the first
time in our history. the real re-
sponsible business head of the. gov
ernment.
America has paid the price Her
people have borne the tax burdens
without murmur. Nevertheless
taxes have hurt the nation. Gen
Lord says that the crushing burden
stifed initiative and cast it's OPP
pressive, chilling shadow over the
hearthstones of the nation"
For the fiscal year ended June 80,
1923, America raised $4,007, 100000 in
revenue. and the surplus left over
was S3O9, 100000.
For the fiscal year ending June so
1924, the American people Will hand
over to the federal government APP
preparations $3.S94. 100000, and the
surplus is estimated to be $329.000, ,00o
For the fiscal year ending June so
1925, the long suffering people will
give Uncle Sam, to run the govern
ment, an amount estimated to be
50, ,693, 100000, while the surplus, even
when We include the administration
tax reduction program, climbs up tc
an estimated height of S395,000,000.
So reduction In expenditure, al
, ready arranged for by the govern
ment. has made some reduction in
taxation possible Immediately. This
is the most important first fact in the
situation. The budget bureau has al.
ready done this for us-it has shown
in cold figures that tax reduction is
possible right away.
Copyright. 1924, in United States anC
Great Britain by North American Newspape
Alliance. All rights reseTed.)
TomOrrow-One Cent in $I0O fol
the white House.