The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-12
PICK REVENUE
BILL TO PIECES
Amendments Offered to
Change Bill and Others
Want it "As Is.
SEE NO EARLY ACTION
Debate Is Hot with DenOunce-
ments and Censures as
Hearing Is On.

Madison. Wis.-The present state
income tax law would remain sub
stantially in its present form, exc
cept for the personal property offset
and division of the revenues, under
an amendment to the administration
tax bill offered in the state senate
this morning by Chairman o. II. john
son Of the committee on corporations
and taxation. The amendment is the
result of several conferences Of adj
ministration leaders,.
Briefly, the exemption to married
men would be $1,000 instead of $1,000
and the personal property offset re-
pealed. In place of the latter, how
ever, deduction from the gross in
come. both as to individuals and cor
porations Of six per cent of the as
sessed value of the property used in
the acquisition of the income is al
lowed. The amount to be collected
under the amendment is the same as
under the present law, Senator John
son declared
Change Tax Divisions.
The division of AS per cent to the
! localities, ten per cent to the counties
and 40 per cent to apply to reduction
Of mill taxes on real and personal
property taxes, such as university,
normal and common schools, remains
| in the bill.
The six per cent deduction feature,
the chairman explained, would amount
to about million and half dollars
! and "eliminates discrimination that
i. y rxy1,N
.aAs estate tax and personal property
lax and CAKES on incomes from In
tangibles
Incomes from al sources would be
put on the same basis, he said.
Declaring that real and personal
/ property taxes would be reduced APP
proximately $4,5O0,0OO Senator John
son said it meets with the general
approval of "the progressive mem
| bers" Of the Senate.
Objects to Amendments.
Before consideration OK the amend
ment to the tax bill was taken up in
the Senate, Senator Johnson moved
| the rejection of three amendments
heretofore made to the bill and re-
| lection followed without record vote.
| Senator Johnson then moved the re-
| lection of amendment No. a., offered
| by Senator Herman Bilgrien, which
would have replaced so per cent Of
| the personal property offset, provid-
! ed different method of distribution
and would not tax dividends. Senator
| Bilgrien however, withdrew his amend
ment for correction.
| Amendment No. then was offered
! II. l..
4 for an increase in the individual in
| come exemption from $1,000 to $1,000
and from 5000 to $500 on dependents.
| The amendment was adopted 81 TO 2,
Senators LANCE and White voting in
the negative.
On the offering Of amendment No.
| by Senator Johnson, the real debate
| of the session started. This was n
/ proposal for a reduction from the gross
/ income of six per cent of the assessed
value of property used in acquisition
of the income. Senator j. @. Schuman
| opened the debate for the opponents
Of the bill by declaring the amend
ments offered ripped the original bill
| to pieces, and made step-child out
| of an orphan. He asserted IL took
/ few hours to draft and promote tsa
amendments, whereas IL had takA.f
/ four months Of the time of tax
expert from California to draft the
! original He moved the rejection Of
! the amendment.
| Senator w. T. Titus of Fond du Lac
then took a hand in denouncing the
| bill and the amendments attached
! thereto.
| when the income tax bill was pre-
pared in the first instance" the SEN
ator said, at was declared by its
/ sponsors it could not have been mora
| perfect if it had been designed by d.,
vine power 1t was said to be the
| greatest effort of man and not second
| even to the constitution of the United
/ States and the declaration Of inde-
| pendence.
| "Now they come with an amendment
! which says the bill is all wrong and
they want to cover it up. They " an
to cover up a hideous thing by an
amendment But the bill has the old
/ beast in s
! What Il ate want
| ia less expe. te income
have never k1ministra-
4 tion making to reduce
/ expenses It found ktical neces-
! sity to pass some kind Il tax bill"
/ Senator Carey Makes Reply.
The senator was answered by Sena-
tor A.. z. Carey, ADMINISTRATION floor
leader, who said the individual would
pay less tax under the present amend
/ ed bin, ana the merchant would pay
4 less To- Ava. In addition he said the
amendments will have the effect Of
repeating five per cent Of the mil
taxes Of tire stafp.
/ Both Carey and johnson claimed the
lrontinued on mace %