The Daily Alaska empire., 1936-09-28
A POLITICAL MISTAKE

Whatever else Governor Landon may say in the present campaign appears that the less he refers to ls exploits in Kansas the better. The Chief Execu- tive of Kansas finds himself less vulnerable on almost any subject than those which might be connected with his home state In his Maine speech. for ex- ample he won considerable comment for well presented address with points of merit Whereas, his Buffalo address immediately shot to pieces be- cause it hardened against his record in Kansas.
 His staunch supporters sort of overlooked his Buffalo talk but the repercussions were heard wherever there tax payers because, perhaps un- fortunately for Landon. he referred to the "cockeyed' tax on corporation dividends which he would have repealed immediately
 It was not so much his repeal note, for repeal of any kind of taxes meets with general favor but his reference to income taxes that turned the Kansas Executives speech into enemy fire. When he said that President Roosevelt dealt more harshy with people with incomes of $25 a week less" than did President Hoover and referred to what he had done with respect to taxation in Kansas, he left himself wide open for a devastating attack The Governor probably knows well any one by now that it was a political mistake to bring up taxes in Kansas in his political essay the folks in New York for these simple reasons:
 In the first place the Kansas income tax law was enacted under Landons administration and signed py him.
 The little man." if he is single and has de- pendent, has to pay income taxes in Kansas $15 a week Under the Federal income tax law he pays no income tax on less than $20 week.
 Under the law Governor Landon approved, a married couple earning $50 week must pay income taxes. The Federal tax does not apply to them un- less their income exceeds $50 a week.
 There is a considerable difference in the exemp- tons provided in the Federal and Kansas tax laws. Married couples allowed exemption of $2,500 under the Federal law and only $500 in Kansas. Single persons allowed $lO 900 under Federal sched ules. compared with $750 in Kansas. Exemptions for dependents s4o0 under the U s. statute: only $200 in Kansas
 So the little doesn't fare handsomely in Kansas under the tax law Governor Landon signed. And the difference between the rates in the higher brackets in Kansas and the United States is consid- erabe.
 The top rate-the very highest that can be levied on incomes in Kansas-is four tD per cent. That applies on incomes of s70OO or over In the Federal scale it ranges up to 75 per cent.
 On net income of s5O000 the Federal income tax is $9,7O0. In New York State where Governor Landon's dissertation delivered the tax on s5O- 900 net income is $325O
 But men and women with $50,0OO net incomes re- Slung III haISaS are fortunate Under the act Governor Landon approved, the tax is only $l870
 It is a difficult task at best for candidate not to leave himself open on occasion. For instance MT. Roosevelt doesn't refer too often to the "Quoddy' dam in New England because it is of those things about which political ammunition has been made; effective, too no doubt in the New England states Similar situation holds for MT Landon and Kansas The less the Governor says about income taxes and balancing the budget in his home state the better it would appear his chances in November.