Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-04-04

the form of interest and is much
better able to bear taxes than home
and farm property.
The Money and Credits tax rate is
now mills, and the Farmer-LabOriteS
propose to raise it to 5 mills.
$4,000 home or farm pays an average
tax of 65 mills. while a $4,000 bond,
drawing interest, pays only mills.
An increase to mills is little enough.
But the Conservatives refuse to tax
the rich. They will get the money
from the poor through sales tax.
The Railroad Gross Earnings Tax.
Railroads pay no property tax. but
instead pay tax on their yearly
gross earnings which is supposed to
about equal the property tax. 1t was
nearly equal when the rate was set
more than twenty years ago. But
property taxes have doubled since
then and the Railroad Gross Earnings
tax has not been changed. Justice re-
quires that this tax be increased to
bring it into line with the property
tax, and the Farmer-Labor bills call
for such an increase. But the Con-
servatives plan to protect this low
taxation for railroads. They refuse
to tax wealthy corporations so they
propose no increase. They want to
plumber the poor through sales tax.
Iron Mining Taxes.
The Mining Companies have grown
to giant wealth from exploiting Min
nesota ore. Once this natural wealth
has left the state it is gone forever,
and Minnesota is that much poorer.
Only by taxation can we keep part
of the income from this natural re-
source for this state. The Farmer
Laborites have proposed an increase
in Iron taxes to bring in an addi-
tional $2,3OO,O0O. But the Conserva-
tives are against any tax on the tiny
infant United States Steel Corpora
ton. They like the idea of milking
twenty millions from the farmers, the
worker and the Independent mer-
chant through a sales tax.
The Telephone Gross Earnings Tax.
This is in the same class as the
Railroad Gross Earnings tax. A re-
adjustment to bring it up to the prop
erty tax is many years overdue. The
Farmer-Laborites have proposed a
considerable increase which will
really make the burden fairly bal
anced, and is graduated so that it
will not increase the taxes on small
telephone companies, many of which
are cooperatives, owned by the users.
The Conservatives propose only a
small increase They don't want to
tax the Telephone trust. they want
to levy a sales tax to wiring money
from the poor.
The Net Income Tax.
Farmer-Laborites have always
fought for the income tax as the fair
est of all taxes. If a man has in
come to pay taxes. he pays, if he has
little income, there is no tax. The
income tax which was passed at the
last session, with very low rates, pro-
duced about two and one-half mil
lion dollars. Most of this came from
big incomes. Since farmers have had
very small incomes, they haven't felt
the income tax. Only one farmer has
paid an income tax in the two years,
and he paid only seven dollars.
The Conservatives know that the
public demands an increase in the
income tax so they propose a small
increase to bring in about 81, $500
more than we now get. Farmer
Laborites propose a real increase. to
bring in S4,500,000 more than we now
get from this source. These rates
are still not so high as the Wiscon-
sin rates. But the wealthy hackers
of the Conservatives don't want to
pay taxes on their swollen incomes,
and they don't like to see the farm
ers getting away without paying.
They'll catch 'em with the sales tax
The Inheritance Tax.
The two programs are about alike
on this tax. to produce 100000.
The Sales Tax.
The sales tax is a tax on every re-
tail sale made to a consumer. 1t adds
to the cost of every item bought by
,, the workers, farmers and professional
people. Where it cannot be passed
, on it penalties the small merchant
Farmer-Laborites stand sQuarely
against the sales tax in any form
; They know that the sales tax is the
; pet plan of the wealthy to collect or
the bread the small man buys, while
their investments and large income.
escape.
The Conservatives make the sales
tax the whole heart of their program
1t is inspired by the same group tina
wants corporation taxes brought dow
to one mill, and for the same reason
It's rich mans program to tax TIT
I poor.
The Farmer-Labor tax re-adjust
: ment will bring in as much revenu
for property tax relief as the Con
Y sentative program, without saddlin,
$ a penny of sales tax on the food ant
l clothing bought by the worker, tn
farmer, the professional. and tn
s family on relief, without hurting tn
}. business of the independent merchant
e or driving people to buy by mail orde
y outside the state to avoid the tax.
, | Tho ronco iuo 70 will rr11