The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-22
LaGuardia's Relief Taxes

WITH the signing of the Ross bill for
W financing unemployment relief in New
York city, new taxes on the cemmonest
articles of consumption and a tax on every
pay envelope is held out by the LaGuardia
regime.
As in the past, when the various Block
Aid" and share the Work" schemes were put for
ward, 50 under the new taxing program, the bur
den of unemployment relief falls squarely upon
the shoulders Of the working population.
Three proposals are put forward by the LaGuar-
dia bankers group: one, a tax Of per cent on
every pay envelope; two, a municipal sales tax of
or per cent; and three, lottery scheme whereby
the misery Of the jobless would be made the foot
ball of chance.
The first scheme hardly needs elaboration. Last
week the State Legislature passed q per cent tax
on all incomes above $40 week. Commenting upon
this and the citys tax program, LaGusrdia
marked that the new tax imposts are "just
added burden"
BY the second foodstufs, clothing, the simplest
articles of consumption of the working population
are to be taxed.
In a leading article the New York Herald
Tribune leading organ OF the Wall Street group
lets slip the purpose Of the tax imposts. THE
mayors chief concern" the Tribune states, as to
get tax program that will appeal to the bankers"
that is tax program under which the masses will
pay.
m October 80, 1882, the past city administration
" signed the Bankers Agreement, by which the
city would limit It's relief expenditures and continue
its payments to the bankers Immediately after
the city was loaned $4,000 900 by the bankers
1y half, $30,O00O0o was at paid back into the
bankers Golfers. The LaGuardia regime has
tinued the monthly payments under the terms of
the Bankers Agreement.
The unemployed are in perfect agreement with
LaGuardia when he declares that the "unemploy-
ment situation is serious" Under the city budget
now being prepared, nothing has been set aside for
relief Taxation must be levied to meet the rising
need for relief.
New avenues of taxation are avaable-the super
profits OF the utilities, taxes on inheritances and
large incomes, tax corporations operating
within the confines of the city on the large realty
holdings and business sites.
Notwithstanding his prediction TRADES against
the financial dctators" against the secret parleys
between tne bankers ana Ine past clCy admlnlstra-
ton, against the "strangling Bankers Agreement by
which I am bound" LaGuardia takes the course
dictated to him by those whom he has in the past
condemned-in words. From the Whtneys, the AL
drches the Belmonts, the warburgs the entire Wall
Street group whom he invited to his relief con-
ferences" June l. LaGuardia has sought "ad-
vice" how to finance relief And the answer
has been taxation the
The answer of the employed and unemployed
workers who modifying their forces for a mass
conference under the leadership Of the United Ac-
ton Conference on Work, Relief and Unempoy-
ment and who will march in thousands on City
Hall on September o. is the scrapping of the Bank
ers Agreement taxation on the corporations and
the bankers and the demand for decent, adequate
relief to the unemployed workers.