Evening star., 1925-07-17
Senator Capper On
Farm Taxation

To the Editor of The Star;
II is surprising and regrettable IN
md such an able and worthy man az
Senator Capper repeating and s,Is.
tanning the erroneous doctrine that
taxes should be levied according to
anlilty to pay" This quotation is
taken from his article on Farm
Taxation" in The Star of july IA
1925. '
1t Is certainly true that taxes"
must be raised to pay the expenses
or conducting the Government. but
this payment should be according to
services rendered. Government is q
business undertaken in behalf Of the
people to supply some needed service
II no service be rendered. there is no
reason for having Government. and
the price charged for what service is
rendered should be proportional to the
service.
II l wish to hire a servant, saw a
policeman. a fireman or a school
teacher, he charges me for his service
what will enable him to give me his
time at a reasonable rate, not accord
ing to how much money l have in NV
pocket or in the bank. If l want to
buy barrel of -four, the grocer
charges me what he would charge
any one else, without asking me
whether I be rich or poor II I do not
want any flour, the grocer will not
charge me anything. II I be walking
the street and a highwayman attacks
me. does the policeman inquire how
much money have in my pocket be-
1ore ne comes TO my rescue?
There are some services so general
and necessary that no one can claim
a rig at to demand exemption from
maintaining them even if he do not
appreciate their value. Such might
for example, be the need to maintain
public schools, to the cost of which A
person who has no children NAV be
called upon to contribute. There might
properly be poll tax, alike for every.
body, to sustain the cost of the rem
dering of such common, indefnable
service by the Government, but, as
a usual thing, the services rendered
by the Government are not propor.
tional to the amount of money a
person has been able to earn or has
| managed to save.
Two men may acquire by their
! labors or otherwise the same amount
of money by the day, the month or
the year. Is it due to any service
rendered by the Government that one
squanders his money, another uses 1t
| to promote business either by carry.
| it to some one else, or even puts it in
coin and buries It? II 1t were proper
| for the Government to treat these
| men differently, should 1t not rather
| fine the man who hides or buries his
| money, and pay a premium to the
man who shows thrift or helps to
promote the worlds work?
X X
| The only support of the doctrine
| that money should be taken from per-
sons in proportion to their ability to
pay comes logically from the robber.
and the levying of so-called ''taxes'
according to any such doctrine is the
| commission of robbery by govern.
| mental authority. The ancient doc
trine of the monarchs was that the
people belonged to the king, and the
king had right to take from them
| whatever he could get out of them.
! Naturally the king did not expect or
| try to get out of poor man what he
! got out of a rich one, and thus grew
| up the custom of taxing men accord
| ing to ability to pay.
There should not be any taxes The
Government should charge every one
| for services in proportion to the serv-
| ices it renders to him. No one would
think of calling the price a person
| charges for personal or other serv-
! ices rendered to him a tax" Neither
should there be any tax" for services
| not rendered. Persons of the ability
! and authority possessed by Senator