The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-16
BY MILTON HOWARD

THE yearly water bill in New Yorl
L is $25,0oo,000. That means thai
every family in New York City pays
$40 every year for water. They pay
it either directly in taxes, or indi-
rectly through rents.
And since this is a capitalist
democracy where everybody shares
taxes equally" the millionaire Wall
Street banker on Park Avenue with a
duplex apartment of 18 rooms paws
no more nor less than the family
of jobless worker paying So a week.
perhaps, for some rat-ridden hole in
a tenement.
Now, under the new Untermeyer
Tammany tax program a so per cent
increase in the water rate will go
into effect. That means a $4,000 600
increase in the rent bill of the hun
dreds of workers families, since it
is q foregone conclusion that the
landlords will simply pass the in
creased water rate along to the
tenants.
Higher rents-and the beginning of
more taxes on the workers--that's
what the Untermayer tax program
means.
The Socialist candidate for Mayor,
Charles Solomon, has given his ap-
proval to the Untermeyer tax pro-
gram. They don't like the increased
water rates, but they accept the
whole program because they claim
that it is a tax on the rich ito pro-
vide for relief"
con the whole it Is good, very
good, and certainly approve IT,"
said the Socialist candidate for
Mayor.
We shall see in a moment that this
plays right into Tammany's hands in
its strategy to slip over the increased
water rates behind the guise of tax
on the rich.'
WILL the new taxes hit the rich
w Wall Street stock spectators,
and the rich banks and utility COM
panies? They will not. These taxes |
are only blind behind which the |
real capitalist Tammany tax pro-
gram can go forward without arous-
ing the anger of the workers in the |
City.
While all the noise is being made |
by the representatives of the Stock |
Exchange and the banks, the water |
tax is forgotten in the shuttle. And |
that Is the whole purpose of the little |
game that is being played down at
the City Hall.
The program designed by Inter
meyer calls for permanent taxations
Of fifty per cent on water rates, effec-
tive January LIST and a five cent tax
on taxicab passengers. This will in
crease the city revenues by $2o,5oo,O00
annually, 1t is estimated.
The program also includes tenn
porary taxations (September /, 1888
to February %, 1880; q tax of ~
per cent on the gross income of all
public utility companies in the city.
from customers within the city. A
tax Of one-quarter Of per cent on
the value Of all savings bank and life
Insurance company investments. A 5
per cent tax on gross income of all
those buying or selling stock market
securities and stock transfer tax
of 4 cents per share transferred by
residents of the city. This will bring
about $25,000,Oo0 to the city, Inter
meyer says.
Notice that the supposed taxes
against the rich are temporary,
scheduled for only six months.
The tax that falls with crushing I
'orce on the poor, the increased water
AK is permanent! All the taxes ,
against the rich" can be indefinitely !
delayed by fights in the courts-the
water rates can go into effect i'm
nediatelyl
The Tammany strategy here is very ,
interesting. Half from the rich
'25, 900, 000-and half from the poor.
Us, 10000 increased water rates t
,tc
But the half to be taken from the |
Door is a permanent tax and can be !
'asily and quickly collected, while the s
lalf from the rich is for only six
months. and it is very doubtful if S
hey can ever collect It'll e
The fact that both Untermeyer and 6
he bankers are fully aware that the
ich mans half Is, in reality. a s
cry doubtful quantity, is a guar \
ntee that the City government will \