The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-09-09

OAA4~c - eAG Aa@0Aa4 orange VINO IS
also a member Of the advisory board
Of the District Of Columbia division
Of the A. A. A.
Must Alter Tendency.
! Admitting the equitable character
of the tax which has now been
adopted by 48 states and the Dis
trict of Columbia, MIR. LoOmis, who is
a nationally known expert on tax
alton, fcresees the destruction Of the
gas tax structure unless two tenden-
cies are forthwith discontinued. These
tendencies are:
First, misrepresentation OF the tax
to other than read purposes.
Second, the disposition to pyramid
the tax by adding q cent or two at
a time, revealing a well developed
case Of "Gimmies'' in the legisla-
lures.
Il wonder if in tapping the golden
flow Of cash for the purchase Of
power, we have not opened the door
to a new kind Of gold digger" Mr..
Loomis warned.
In Pennsylvania a total Of $780,
600 Of the $9,O89,541 raised from the
tax went into the general fund" of
the state. A part Of it went back to
the counties where it was raised but
nothing 81 far as the records show
went into the fund administered by
the state highway department.
In Maryland s476,OOO failed to.
reach the state highway department;
in Texas, where roads and how to
build them is the outstanding prob
lem, $97O,OOO Of the $3,892,769 raised
by the tax was put into the free
school fund. North Dakota put ev-
cry cent realized from the gas levy
into the general fund. South Carolina
turned into the general fund $4,000
or one-third of the entire tax. Mon
tana went South Carolina n better
and put 40 per cent of the tax into
the general fund Of the state. Geor-
gia put one-third or a little over a
million into the general fund while
New Mexico, though she put almost
all the gas tax into new roads, kept
a little balance for the development
of fish.
FOrty-Three Have Gas Laws.
Summarizing the situation with re-
gard to the gasoline tax, Mr.. LOOmis
said:
"Forty-three states now have pass
ed the gas tax law, Minnesota and
Kansas being the latest converts with
a two cent tax act effective May 1.
Iowa also made one less than half
Of the gas tax states to have the two
cent rate, but the fact that the two
cent rate don't stick is evidenced by
the new five-cent rate in South Caro-
lima; BY the four-cent rate in Arkan-
sas, Nevada and North Carolina,
where recent highway history is well
known; by the ~three-cent rates in Ari-
iona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ken
lucky, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia.
'Then they split hairs in a few
other states and made the tax two
and a half and three and a half cents.
This includes Wyoming and Utah.
The One-cent states are Connecticut
which has the very large average IL
cense fee Of over $23 per vehicle;
New Mexico; North Dakota, where ev-
cry cent goes into the general fund;
Texas, where Is per cent goes to free
schools, and Vermont, another modest
and moderate state in this whole sub
jeet.
The states still studying the gas
tax proposition include Illinois, Mas
sachusetts, New Jersey, New York
Rhode Island, and the island posses.
sion, Hawaii.
"a gasoline tax, barring some ex.
~traOrdinaFy set Of circumstances, il
q pretty easy way t. get this money