Evening star., 1924-02-25
TAX AMENDMENT
MAY BRING VETO
Administration Opposes Pro-
vision for Congressional
Viewing of Income Returns.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

The Coolidge administration will
never consent to the provision insert
ed 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-
ures In the tax bill. may be the basis
for 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-
pie? Should one business concern
engaged in sharp competition with
In Congress sufficient to get at the
income tax returns be enabled to
get facts and figures on rival con-
Germs? Should members of Con-
which to attack private business?
These questions are answered in
the negative by administration off,
cials. who think that income tax
returns should be kept secret. In
deed. the Treasury Department has
furnish the income tax returns to any
other branch of the federal govern
ment itself. even the Department Of
Justice. Time and again the latter
has fe't that without sufficient evil
dence to catch bootleggers under the
provisions of the Volstead act, a
fraudulent income tax return might
land the bootlegger - Jail. 1t ha S
been with difficulty and through
roundabout court proceedings that
any information has been obtained,
and usually the Treasury Department
has preferred to do its own prosecut-
ing of such cases upon information
furnished by the Department of JUS
tice.
Veto May He Forced.
So jealously guarded have income
tax returns become In the last ten
years that the thought of making
them available to committee of
Congress goes against the grain here.
There is some reason to believe that
the Senate will throw out the amend
ment and that it will be lost in con-
ference between the two houses. If
it stays in the bill, 1T may force a
veto.
r,, while there are men n; on ncs;a caIitol SI
Coolidge will not dare to veto any
tax bill that comes before him, they
are likely to be surprised when they
receive a veto message. Mr.. Coolidge
knows that the argument can work
both ways, namely that Congress can
not afford to kill tax legislation any
more than can the Chief Executive
and that If he sends back a bill to
Congress. urging that Objectionable
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.
See Fight on Plan.
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 country will fight the proposal
tooth and nail, for. If the income
tax returns are made available to a
congressional committee. it 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 Nigh have
to undergo some day the scrutiny of
tariff experts anxious to prove that
certain tariff duties should be raised
or lowered, and other controversies
may be stirred up by the use or mis-
use of information obtained from in
come tax returns.
On the whole, the administration
Is opposed to letting go of the con-
f1dential information given by the
taxpayer to his government.
Copyright, 1924