White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-02-02
Bouncing Tax
Burden Is Game
At Olympia
,r SEEMS TO BE TOO ELASTIC TO
STAY IN ANY ONE PLACE FOR
VERY LONG
By Jimmie K. Browne

Already rumblings from various sec
lions of the state are beginning to seep
into Olympia from the electorate. The
plant is all the same:
"What's become OF that new deal
we taxpayers were promised"
The folks at home have been watch
ing legislative activities. They have
been studying thenew proposed laws as
they drop into the bill hoppers.
This is the underlying cause of the
rllmblings.
To date there have been lantl OF bills
proposals, to gather in the money put
not one dsigned to reduce the cost OF
government.
The present session has run wild on
demands to increase revenues for
spending. But the cause of the upset
in politics can be traced directly to the
ever increasingcost of government.
1t was reduction in these costs
whoch created political landslide, but
so far the legislature has been unable
to grasp the full meaning OF the up
set, or the cause Of it.
When the session convened, the first
proposals called for millions OF dol
lars of bond issues to meet an econM-
ic condition. Fortunately for the state
and the taxpayer, the band issue pro-
posals have apparently been sidetrack-
ed, temporarily at least.
But the demand for tax revenues is
stronger.
There are almost a score OF bills the
Senate and the House, each one de-
manding some new kind OF tax, ex-
else, special privilege, business and oc-
cupational. Taxes and more of them,
is now becoming the legislative battle
cry.
y Take for instance tjust one instance
There are three bills pending, all de-
designed to tax the chain stores. One
of these has been selected as the main
measure for consideration. Yet this bill
if enacted into law as presented Will
assess two business concerns just S.
125,OOO. Two operators will be asked to
pay this large tax or retire from the
state. There are eight others operat-
ing on almost as large scale.
But this huge tax is only one side OF
the picture. The companies involved
blandly assert that if forced to with
draw from the state, they will throw al
most $4,000 men out of employment
representing an increase on the bread
lines of another $4,000 men, women and
children.
These are pictures which the legis-
lature has been apparently unable to
grasp.
The chain store tax proposal is pri-
marily designed to hit at foreign cor
porations operating in the state, but il
has been so worded that business gen.
orally will suffer.
The chain store tax bill is but one Of
many.
Retailers generally are up in arms
over the business tax called for by the
recommendations of the governor in hi!
two companion measures.
Then there is the proposal to reduce
by legislation telephone rates; fix cor
poration charges by statute.
Measures to tax transportation com
panies, express concerns, dealers, pro
LESSONS, business, and individuals arr
before the members. It has not ben ;
question of lifting the tax budren from
the people but of finding new revenues
to take up the losses to be sustained
by limitation on raj estate.
Governor Martin has slashed stat,
salaries. There will be some saving
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