Evening star., 1932-12-18

maintenance represents heavy and
continuing charge on any community,
and the better and more extensive the
highway system the higher the cosk.
1t was when these facts appeared that
the State and county solons began
turning to the highway users. First
they charged substantial license fees
for licenses to operate automobiles on
the highways. Next they provided that
every operator must have permit and
charged fee for the permit. Still the
mounted, and the gasoline tax was dis
covered as fruitful source of revenue.
To add haif-cent or cent to the
price of gasoline seemed not unreason-
able and one State after another re-
sorted to this means of raising revenue.
But motorists. who at first did not OBJ
lect to the light tax. soon discovered
that the taxing authorities were develop
ing along the line of drug addicts, who
must have a stronger and stronger dose
as the habit takes hold. From the
original half-cent taxes the imposts
began to mount to and 3 cents, then
cents and now in Somc States the
tax which must be paid for gasoline,
IN addition to the purchase price, is
cents gallon.
rOur taxes on UaS.
1t is interesting to note how the two
| lines representing gasoline price and
gasoline tax have crossed in the United
States. When gasoline was as high az
80 cents gallon the tax was negligible.
Since then, except for a brief rise dur
ing the World War, the gasoline price
has come steadily down, but, mean
time, the rate of tax has gone steadily
upward. 1t now averages for the coun-
try as high as 80 per cent of the retail
price of the fuel and is higher in some
jurisdictions. Also. it must be remem-
bered. i'll addition to heavy State taxes,
certain counties impose further tax
which goes TO their local golfers and
cities have even piled an impost on
top Of that. The last Federal revenue
law added tax to be collected for the
benefit Of the national Government.
This pyramiding of taxes on gasoline
had gone so far that in 1880 the huge
sum of 81 Sl,000,000,0O0 was paid by the
users Of highways and streets in taxes
on motor vehicles, chiefly in the form
Of gasoline taxes. The year 1881 saw
this figure jump up another S25,000 900,
and in addition to some local raises
in 1882 the Federal Government last
June put on tax calculated to add
Sl5C 100000 to the total gasoline tax
UllI anu ooO,UUC,UUU 10 Ine dutOmODle
excise taxes, not to speak of S33 600 900
to come from tax Oh lubricating oil,
a large part Of which is used by
motorists.
These figures do not take into con-
s!deratIon at all the income taxes paid
on the earnings Of taxicab. bus and
trucking firms nor the personal prop
erty taxes paid for the privilege Of
owning these vehicles to the local luris-
olct.onS. 1t is an interesting compare
son to note that this tax bill is about
three times that paid by the common
carrier railroads of ~the Nation.
On top OF all this the legislatures Of
"A States are due to meet some time in
the Winter Of 1898. and in each
one will be offered some new proposal
Tor increasing taxes on motorists. This
onslaught on the motorists of the coun-
try is responsible for the widespread
revolt and it is to be expected that
through the National Highway Users
Conference the legislators of America
VIII soon hear that the camel does not
intend TO carry any more stravs