The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-06
MOTOR.
TRANSPORT TO.
Be UNDER FIRE.
Franchise Operators Will
Be Targets In The Cen
eraI Assembly
Rv J. C. BASKERVILL
The T,mes-News Bureau
Sir WnltPr llUt"l


RALEIGH, Jan. 6.--The trucN
and bus operators in North caro-
Ina and especially the franehiSe
onerators, are going TO become
the targets of another attack IN
This General assembly and an Ell
fort will be made to tighten u
the laws to see that they pay !" a.
least their propOrtionate share O.
the gasoline and license taxes, ac-
cording TO preliminary rumOllnsS
beord here. 1t is regarded as sig.
nificant that the reports oot3 90 90
the state tax commission anu VI
The state highway commission rec
ommend tightening up the ia"'
ofTacting both trucks and buses
Tbo re6ort of the highway com
mission specifically recommends
making changes in the present o." =
sis of taxing franchise BUS ana
truck lines.
Onerators of franchise bus. AMI
iruck lines do not pay q SING e
cont into the state highway 19nl
from license taxes, as do all othGE
trUcks and buses, with the result
tbat the onlv revenue the highway
fnnd Dets from these carriers Is
from the gasoline tax they pay, IL
:, pointed out in the biennial re
mort of the state highway commas
Sion II is true. of course thay
tho franchise bus and truck INES
are supposed to pay a trahchISe
tax of s per cent on their grcSS
Earnings. and that this tax carries
With it the right to operate 50 50
that they do not pay anything ioI
tbe;r operating licenses. 1t IS also
nointed out that all the reVenus
from this 6 per cent license ta1
COOS into the general fund am
Rot into the highway fund. me
result is that the state gets thou-
aonds of dollars a year less reve-
nne from the franchise trucks
and busses than from those owned
Nv individuals. Yet almost WITH
ont exception the franchise trucks
md busses are owned and operat-
Cd nv corporations and thus re-
oarded as better able to pay All
operating license fee than those
owned by individuals. -
Those who have been studying
the question are also inclined 20
agree that the present laws pro.
w;ding for the collection OF the D
ner cent tax on the gross earnings
pf franchise truck and bus lines
ore due to be materially changed
and strengthened, especially 70
nravent anv tax evasion For
while there is no proof of any tax
evasion under the present laws
there are a good many who frank
Iv do not believe that the iran
rbise truck and bus lines are pay
ING the full amount OF tax Tnat
thew should. There is no douoI
that bills will be offered 10 ma
+erially tighten up existing law
ond that will make more dltlculI
TO evade the payment of any por--
ton of the present per, Gehl
license tax. 1t is also regarded a
certain that bills will be intro
duced to require the francnlse
hnsses and trucks to pay the same
license fees that privately owned
trucks and buses pay.
Any efforts to change the pres
eut laws will of course be bltterly
fought by the North CarOl IN
Truck Owners association and thG
EXPENSIVE and powerful lobby
which it is expected to MAINTAIN
here. The organization already
has several thousand members
has collected a large war chest
from it's members for the purpose
of fighting any changes to the
present laws that may be pro
posed. Former Senator ". +
Horton of Pittsboro is the secre-
tary of this organization and as
such will probably become ITS
chief lobbyist. He will undouot'
edIv be assisted from time to time
by other high pressure and mgr
Drjced lobbyists as they may be
needed. ,,
II is pointed out here that two
wears ago, in the 1881 session, ar
effort was made to amend the Law
with regard to the amount of L.
eense paid by truck and bus fran
chise carriers and that a bill to re-
ouire them to pay rate OF 9O<
per 100 pounds was gotteer
through. But before the bill coulC
become law, the truck and Blu;
neople secured the adoption OF al
amendment to provide that TIM
amount be credited to them on th(
payment of the 6 per cent fran
chise tax. This amendment yIr
tuaIly nullified the effect of tn
statute.
Further legislation regulating
The length, width, height an
weight of trucks and trailers
expected, as we'll as regulating
overlooking. This will of eOurs
be bitterly fought by the true
and bus lobby. But indication
are that this general assembly, !
going to be more inclined to tlgh:
en- up on al agencies instead OF I
loosen up and that the truck pee
pie are going to have hard sled
ding.