Evening star., 1935-04-30

Comment in this country on the
balancing Of the British budget and
the reduction Of income taxation
brings out the fact that Englishmen
still pay higher taxes than are re-
quired Of the people of the United
States. Some newspapers also direct
attention to the failure of Britain to
take into account the war debt to
the United States.
"Once again." observes the Chicago
Journal of Commerce, "the British
government boasts that it has bal
anced the budget, with. through adroit
maneuverings, q surplus of better
than s2,000,000. Personal exemption
in income tax returns is to be in
creased in all brackets, and in the
lower brackets there will be definite
cuts. These favorable changes, it is
said, are being made to offset the un-
popularity of rising arms expendi-
lures, which will account for large
percentage of the entire outlay fol
the coming year. Unless it is en-
tirely wrong to draw conclusions
then, one is left to presume that the
British government is aware that the
general public is not deSirous of war
or of expenditures looking to war
1t is our belief that the people Of
the United States see international
affairs at the present time from the
same viewpoint. Outlays for mill
tary preparations are governed by
governments, not by the people"
"As If these things were not enough
for one time" says the New Orleans
Times-Picayune, I'VE learn further
from Chancellor Chamberlain that
the cost of living is below the level oi
1881 and retail trade is expanding
His words, while they will be taker
by other nations with the proverbia
grain of salt usually reserved for pub
lie pronunciamentos, are encourag-
ing, and it must be said on behalf oi
the British that usually they have
had something to back up such claims
as they have made. Therefore, we
may consider the lately revealed ma
tional situation in Britain an encour-
aging omen. If enough nations re-
cover from their individual troubles
recovery on the world scale would be
the natural ana almost inevitable
next STEP"
"It makes an American lament the
more" declares the Providence Jour-
nal, "that his own National Govern
ment is not only refusing to adopt
a similar policy that has proved
so productive of good results in Great
Britain, but is actually experimenting
with financial ideas that have yielded
such discouraging fruits as a per-
sistently unbalanced budget, a con-
slant scramble for new taxes, the
largest public debt in our history and
a continuance of those doubts and
fears in the business world upon
which depression thrives. Can there
be any doubt as to which procedure
the British or the American-is the
more intelligent?"
Making a comparison between Brit
ish and American financing. the
Oklahoma News states: I'm the fiscal
year 1894 Britain derived approx
mately 54 per cent of her total revenue
from, income and death levies: the
United States raised only 35.6 per
cent from such ability-to-pay taxes.
Britain, with about one-third our
population, has twice as many income
taxpayers. Britain has about 40 per
cent more income taxpayers than she
has unemployed persons. We have
about six times as many unemployed
as we have income taxpayers. Britain
has learned to take care Of her un-
employed by taxing those who have
incomes. We haven't learned-yet."
"A saias tax would roughly Ap-