Askov American., 1935-09-19
STAY SHY OF IT

where it has been made law, and
in some of the states they are
getting ready for repeal of the
act, particularly in New Jersey
at this time.
Absentee land owners, and in
Minnesota the iron mine owners
and other interests, advocate
sales taxes because they want
their real estate, income, inher-
itance and such other taxes re-
duced Whatever reduction would
come to them in real estate and
other taxes would be shouldered
by the farmers, home owners and
others residing right here in the
state in the way of sales taxes
if that was enacted into law.
One of the arguments advanced
by sales tax advocates is that
it is an easy tax to pay, small
amounts and therefore painless.
Nevertheless the sum total of all
those pennies at the end of the
year mounts up.
And why in the name of COM
mon sense should the ordinary
citizen be in such financial cor
dition that it becomes necessary
for him to pay his tax with pen
nies daily? The economic con-
dition should be changed so that
he has something to spare for a
rainy day and so that he can pay
his tax in dollars at the proper
time without undue saving,
squeezing, and scratching.
Governor Olson is due much
credit for his understanding and
for his courage to veto the sales
tax bill last winter after it had
passed both houses of the Legis-
lature. He has more backbone
than most of the governors pos
SeSS.
An interesting article on the
sales tax, the nuisance of the
thing, and its unfairness espe-
cialIy in these times with such
a terrible unequal distribution of
wealth and incomes, and the pub
lie reaction to it, appeared in
The Progressive of Madison, Wis.
1t follows:
Illinois has minted millions {
aluminium tokens supposed to repre-
sent one and one-haIf mills, MiSsoul
is using milk bottle caps, and tn
people of other states with sales take
on their statute books are sufferin
similar annOyances.
Out In conservative New Jersey,
however, public sentiment about
the sales tax has passed the an.
nOyance stage. Tn fact, a rising
tide of Indignation has the gov.
ernOr, the legislators, and the po-
itfcians frankly scared scared
enough to be talking about re-
pealing the dOg.gOned thing.
DR.. Marcus w. Newcomb, membe
of the 1885 New Jersey legislator
who introduced the sales tax measur
that became law, has announced ths
he is prepared to sponsor a repef
measure If the governor Will call
special session of the legislature.
Gov. Hoffman recently made til
public admission that the state sale
tax may have to be abandoned c
at the very least modified to exemI
many of the articles now taxed, il
Guiding food and medicine
The people of New Jersey. perhaI
quicker than those of any other state
visited with the burden of sales tax;
tiOn, realize the evils of the tax an
anti-sales tax candidates. for the le.
islature have sprung up like musl
rooms.
Political seers know the signs we
enough to know that were an ele,
tion held tomorrow, the head Of man
a solon who voted for the sales ia
would fall.
Wherever 1t Is applied, the sales
tax remains a vicious imposition
on the pOcketbOOkS of the poor.
1t reverseS the ability to pay prfn-
cfpIe by taking from those who
have the least. Its purpose IS to
protect those who have real tax.
paying power by loading the bur.
dens of government upon those
who are already unjustly loaded
down.
Amy group of voters that turl
against this type of legislation shoy
intelligence and public spiritednes
New Jersey will set a fine examp
for other states if it is able to effe
a repeal of its sales tax.