Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-02-16
PLAN TAXATION
SURVEY OF The
ENTIRE NATION

Cooperation in a nation wide sur
vey OF the field of state and local
taxation has been asked of tIe Doug
las Chamber of Commerce and Mines
by the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States AS a part of the in
quiry the national chamber has aslsed
the local organization to supply it
with information regarding the nat
ure of any work which has been done
locally by business organizations with
respect to state and local taxation
problems.
The study which the national cham~
Der is making is in the hands of its
committee on taxation, which recent
ly presented to congress a program
for federal tax legislationN many of
whose features We're written into the
taxation measure now before the SEN.
ate. The national chamber has fol-
lowed closely questions of federal
taxation policy over long period,
and it now goes into the state field
in the belief that these phases of
taxation can be properly considered
as of national Importance to business
as a whole.
THE business men of every locality
in the country said the local organ
ization today in a statement announc,
ing plans for the investigation, have
a concern in this question of state
and local taxation, not only as 1t afe
fects them Individually but as it
touches business generally. All taxes
imposed-federal, state and local.
must be paid by the entire people.
The income Of taxpayers today is de-
rived in large part from business that
is of an interstate character at some
point in its development. No taxing
jurisdiction can longer decide meth
DDS of raising revenue without tax
ing into consideration the tax bur
dens of its people in relation to their
business competitors.
High taxes on business mean high
prices for goods, as prices to consuan-,
ers must inevitably include portion
of such taxes. Excessive taxes in
variably bring inflated prices.
ut is easy to see the effect on bus
mess of a situation which today over
the country takes from corporate
business more than one cent in taxes
for every three cents retained for
surplus and dividends. The variety
of taxes on business calls for the
broadest consideration and study. Be
sides the taxes directly aimed at
earnings there are many levies on
commodities so placed as to retard
consumption and to arrest business
development.
"The survesf now under way by the
national chamber will go into the
general principles applying to all
forms of taxation, including the re-
lations between the federal and
state governments; the relations be-
tween the states themselves, and the
relations between the various local
divisions 1t is hoped to set UP gen
eraI principles of taxation looking to
a minimizing of rivalry between tax
jurisdiction, looking to the establish
ment of more scientific methods and
to bringing all taxation agencies
more nearly into accord in the inter-
est both of the taxpayers and the
agencies themselves.
'"rhe chambers committee on taxa
tion has made considerable headway
in it's preliminary examination of the
field. 1t has given special attentloh
to the nter-relationship of taxing
jurisdictions, to the question of in
trastate revenues and to that of in.
trastate expenditures.
"The committee now seeks aid from
its member organizations that have
been working on the problem. 1t de-
sires to know what state and local
taxation problems have been studied,
what proposals have been made, and
what results have been obtained