The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-02-16
House, Senate Disagree
Over License Reduction
Upper House Stands for so
Per Cent Clubhouse
With Governor

| Legislature tackled the Vexing au-
tomobile tax cut problem Tuesday
and after hours of consideration
emerged with two distinctly oppo-
site proposals.
In the senate approval was voted
measure calling for a straight
so per cent cut in all automobile Ii
cense fees.
In the house, a bill cutting only
the minimum rates on low-priced
cars-setting the new rates at So
for cars now paying $40 and 81 for
those now paying $12.50-was pass
ed by an overwhelming majority.
The situation, with each branch
standing pat on it's own proposal,
was held by legislative leaders
Tuesday night as virtually a stale
mate, the result of which may be
no tax cut at all.
The measure passed by the SEN
ate was based on the proposals
made prior to the session by Mike
Holm, secretary of state, and it had
the support of nearly all the con-
servatives in the body. The vote
on the measure was As to Is.
That passed in the house was
Governor Olson's proposal, based on
the theory that cutting the fees for
all cars would mean too great a
slash in the revenues of the state
highway department which in turn
would mean slackening of new
construction work. The governor
took a decided stand against a
general cut and urged a cut for
only the minimum class cars. The
house backed him by vote of SO
to As.
Conference will be held between
leaders of the two houses in an eff
fort to iron out the differences, but
indications were that each group
will insist on carrying out the pro-
visions of it's own bill.
The senate, in the opinion of Sem
ator w. L. Roepke, of Faribault,
Fchairman of the motor vehicle
committee in that branch, will not
deviate from it's course. The house
proposal, Senator Roepke said, will
provide relief for only the oldest of
cars now in use.
1.-THE measure passed by the house
this afternoon will come to our
committee just as the bill passed by
the senate this morning goes to the
house motor vehicles committee,
Senator Roepke explained. II am
certain that the senate committee
will stand pat on the action of the
senate this morning.
II am equally certain that the
senate will send the house bill back
with an amendment setting the rate
at so per cent fiat cut for all cars.
] believe that the action of the SEN
ate will be approved by IS to 80
per cent of the automobile drivers
in the state.
GAS chairman of this committee,
I have received bundles of letters
and petitions pertaining to the tax
cut. They have been almost unani-
nous in demand for a fiat slash of
so per cent. Even those persons
who have pleaded for heavy cut
in the minimum rates have pro-
posed to extend the benefit of cut
to all car owners in the state. We
in the senate do not believe it fair
to discriminate against the major
ity of car owners as set forth in the
house bill"
The tax cut proposal passed by
the senate would place the mini
mum rates at IS on cars of which
[ the tax is now $40 and $6.25 for
those on which $3.50 is now paid.
For all other cars, the tax would
be computed at a rate of IL per
cent of the full value of car in
stead of "a per cent as in the pres
ent law.
That in the house, in the opinion
of some legislators, would effect a
tax cut only on cars that are at
least six years old-those on which
the minimum rates have been fixed
arbitrarily regardless of the value
of the vehicle. Thousands Of vehi-
Giles on which the minimum rate is
now paid would be unaffected it
was claimed because their basic va
ue is high enough to continue their
being classified among the other
cars. They would eventually fall
into the minimum rate class pro-
posed by the house, however.
There was little argument on the
senate measure. It's supporters, re-
fusing to enter into a compromise
with Governor Olson, called it up
for final action before the COVER
nor's supporters could marshal their
support. It was passed in quick
order.