Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-02-13
THE BUS TAX

the average man. They are using
these roads for strictly commercial
purpose-traveling with heavy cars
which have considerable more de-
structive force to the roads than the
average car. For this reason they
should pay a fair and equitable tax
The last Minnesota legislature, ap-
parently worried that the bus company
in the Twin Cities was not making
enough profit, passed bill giving
over 1879 tax reduction to the Twin
City busses operating between the
cities of st. Paul and Minneapolis.
The taxes were 1919 of the base cost
OF the bus, and a majority of the leg
islative MEMBERSHIP crowd which
seems to worry much more about the
bus company, the street car company
and the large corporation interests
than the farmers, small business
men or home owners, reduced the tax
from 1919 to 2.4%. In other words,
where the bus company paid 500 in
taxes heretofore they now pay $24.
1t meant a saving of several thousand
street car company which operates
the busses.
The bill was rushed through the
legislature, being in committees but
one or two days and given special or
der, so that it might avoid publicity
1t is likened to the Brooks Coleman
bill which took home rule away from
f.iti -
for the street car companies to make
greater profits on the operation of the
street cars.
Buses operating within the con-
fines OF one city, between hotels and
depots, and as auXiliaries of the street
cars, giving transfers from bus to
street car, are paying the 2.4% tax,
but when busses operate in two or
more cities they formerly paid 1870
tax. 1t was this change that the last
Legislature made. The buses oper-
ating in both cities and getting CSC
fare were given a present of several
thousand dollars annually in having
their tax reduced from 1919 to 2.4%o.
The reduction the busses were given
i'm tax would pay the interest on a
good sized sum of highway refunding
bonds
In these days of prices none too
good on the farmland that has been
the case since 1920-it would seem
that legislative bodies make grave
mistakes in granting more conces-
sions to the big corporations. If there |
is to be tax reductions then grant it |
where the tax is more of burden
Most of the bills that come before |
any legislative body are either in be-
half Of the people or i'm behalf of the |
interests; it is not always so, but gen.
orally speaking that is the case, there
is line drawn and each member Of
the legislative body when he votes is
on one side or the other of this line.
Those who vote with the interests |
do so for selfish reasons, to get jobs
for their relatives and henchmen, or
in other words to get protection for
their own little self, forgetting the
thousands of citizens they are sup
posed to represent They know of
course that the big corpOrations-the
interests-are watching their record.
and IL they vote in their behalf they
will get some favors-not only po-
litical appointments. but may also get |
some help in their next campaign for
reelection. And as to the public,
such legislators figure that they are
not interested enough to follow events,
II does not mean enough to each indi-
vidual how the self-seeking legislator
votes on the different bills. and thus
they figure they can get by" But
there is usually a day of reckoning
and the boys in legislative halls
who are there principally to feather
their own nest get their dues. though
sometimes it takes quite a while for
the public to wake up to the situation.
Keep the public in ignorance" 'let
them dwell in apathy" is the pro-
gram of the self-seeking legislator.
and by the way, do you see that type
of legislators write to the press on
what is going on in the legislative
halls? Do you see them going out
and discussing public issues after the
session is over. meeting with farmers
clubs, commercial bodies. civic or
CARNATIONS. and the like and try to
spread knowledge OF governmental az