Evening star., 1936-11-17
Americas Tax Bill.

When a nation is paying Is per cent
of its total annual income in taxes it is
something to think about That is what
the American people did last year. The
total bill for taxes. Federal, State,
county and municipal, reached the huge
sum of $3.50 100000, according to the
statisticians of the National Conference
Board. The American people will pay
a much greater sum in taxes for the
year 1886, and the prospects are that
the tax bill will mount higher still in
1887, unless something is done to tighten
the burden.
Congress will assemble in Washington
in about seven weeks. 1t will have be-
fore it, either Immediately or soon after
President RooSevelt's Inauguration, The
annual budget for the Federal Govern
ment. Expenditures have, or should
have, q direct connection with revenue.
Revenue means taxes. Congress will also
have the report of q special committee
appointed to consider . revision Of the
tax system. And. of course, it will have
any recommendations that the President
may make regarding taxes.
The immediate urge, from many quar-
tiers, will be for more spending. Plans
for the betterment of the Government
service, for additional bureaus and for
the increase of those already created
will be among the demands. There Is
already talk Of q request for q four or
five hundred million dollar appropria-
ton for the Resettlement Administration
headed by Undersecretary Tugwell Of the
Department Of Agriculture. This is
merely single example of what is to
be expected.
The taxpayers of the country-which
includes all the American people, for they
pay through indirect taxes as well as
through direct taxes-will watch the
proceedings Of Congress hopefully. The
great mass of the people, understanding
that they must pay the bill, will be
opposed to increased expenditures at a
time when deficits are still mounting.
They will be opposed to levies of new
taxes, which they realize will mean in
creased prices of their food, their clothing
and of all the necessities and niceties
of life.
Based on the figures estimating the
tax bill for 1885, Americans paid an aver
age of $77.20 for every man, woman and
child for the 125, 900 900 population. It
is easy to figure that the tax bill of the
country was greater than its bill for food,
or its bill for shelter or for amusements.
Some take satisfaction from the fact
that the situation might be worse, that
Americas tax bill might be as high in
percentages and per capita as the tax
bills Of the people of Great Britain,
France or Germany. British taxes took
pa per cent of the British income;
French taxes took 274 per cent and
German taxes 22.7 per cent. That is
cold comfort, however.
1t will pay Congress and more par
ticularly it will pay the American people
to consider very carefully the question
Of governmental expenditures. That
goes not only for Federal expenditures,
but also the expenditures of State,
county and city. The Federal Govern
ment is in q position to set q good
example. In recent years, it has taken
the lead in huge expenditures. 1t is
claimed that such expenditures were
necessary. They have been made and
they still must be paid for. That is
water over the dam. What concerns
every American today is the future.