Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-03-23
SESSION Is ON
THE LAST LAP
Continued from Page -

route.
| Letters from high officials of the
three farm organizations Grange,
Farmers Union and Farm Bureau
as read on the floor of the House,
were all in opposition to diverting
highway funds to other purposes than
roads and against high taxes and reg
ulations, the most Objectionable being
high rates and minimum charges.
| Laws having been enacted, setting
up emergency measures in regard to
banks Of the state, giving more power
to the commissioner of banks and the
governor, like bills were also enacted
this week as regards insurance COM
panies. 1t was argued that it would
be necessary to extend time of prem
ium payments to many policy holders
and it would also be necessary to ex-
tend time to the insurance companies
in the payment of their obligations to
policy holders. The so-called insur-
ance bill gives greater power to the
insurance commissioner and the gov
ernor during the emergency.
Good Chain Store Tax.
No little credit is due Rep. Masek
of st. Paul, and members of his Com
merce, Manufacture and Retail Trade
committee for the chain store tax bill
which they presented to the House
and upon which final action was taker
Wednesday. Rep. Masek introduced
the first chain store tax bill in the
1929 session and has made study Of
that form of taxation for number o.
years. Many committee hearings anC
a few public hearings were conducted
in behalf of this legislation. 1t in
wolves both license fee and gross
earnings tax. BY including botf
methods, the purpose of this form o
taxation is arrived at in much bet
ter and equitable manner than if onl!
the license fee was employed. Mr.
Masek stated that the first chair
store taxes were begun in some state:
in 1926 and the idea has been de
veloping and such legislation ha:
been enacted in many states durin:
the past eight years. There has als'
been number of court decisions
some of the first state laws being de
clared unconstitutional. Mr.. Masel
and his committee had worked out ;
bill so clearly defined and so equit
able that it passed the House by ;
vote of III to after thorough ex
PLANTATION of the proposal by the com
mittee chairman. 1t is estimated tina
proceeds of the chain store tax viii
amount to at least one million dol
lars for the state annually. Mos
| likely it will be passed by the Senate
Another extension, for the paymen
, of motor vehicle taxes has beel
granted by the Legislature, due to TIN
fact that full agreement has not We
been reached on the auto tax. Tim
has been extended up to April Is
) Bills have been passed in both tn
Senate and House on auto licens
: taxes but .as they vary considerably,
, conference committee was selecte'
about two weeks ago to iron out tn
differences. They agreed to the eX
tent of reducing the tax calculated t
decrease motor vehicle tax receipt
about three million dollars-that is
1 from eight million down to five mil
lion dollars by cutting the fees 10H
: to 500. Minimum fees would b
slashed SOC from $3.50 on class
cars to S6.25, and from $1,000 t
$500 on class A cars, as provided i
, the Senate bill. The valuation rate
. however, would remain at 2.4% as i
the House measure. The conferenc
committee agreed on increasing tn
rate of depreciation SO that the valu
: of the car, upon which the tax
< based, would be less. A car one yea
old would depreciate 2O% and Their
/ would be an additional 1919 depreci
alton each year until the minimum
fee basis would be reached.
Income Tax Up.
The statutory state income tai
: sponsored by the writer and Al &C
i, authors, got place on special orde
slated for Tuesday, March 81. Motto
had been made for the special orde
a couple of times but carried finall
u on Thursday when sponsors of tn
+ bill agreed to have a bill for cor
: stitutional amendment on the incOm
tax appear on the same special Orde
of March 81. Three bills had bee
introduced for constitutional amend
$ ments and subcommittee from tn
:, committee on Taxes and Tax Law
+ worked out a bill which was satisfat
tory to the larger committee. Oris
). inal sponsors of bills for cOnstitu
N tiOnal amendments include Rep. Bal
ker, Hart and Lee. If the amend
y ment bill passes the Legislature an
: is adopted by the voters in the elet
ton of 1884, it will mean that prt
n ceeds from the state income tax wi
O. be allOcated to the schools out owe
the state. There was a strong attemI
= made to make a statute out of tn
constitution so that there would
little for the Legislature to do in tn
way of setting rates and allocate
. of proceeds from the tax. 1t we
e proposed that the maximum rat
n should never be more than five time
t. the minimum rate. The entire con
7 mittee objected strenuously to tn