The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1936-10-29

AREPOISON TO
TAX PAYERS
Only One Proposal that Does
Not Reach into Pockets;
Largest Registration i'm all
History Presages Big Vote

The largest number OF voters in
the history OF the state will go TO
the polls Tuesday TO vote on the
most expensive tax issues ever pre-
sented TO the electorate, survey OF
registration and Of pending issues
disclosed today.
With final registration figures yet
to be tabulated, the totals are near
the 100000 mark with the POSSIBLE
ity Of reaching 100000. The larg-
est previous registration for any
general election in this state was
the 1892 peak Of 100000.
Registration officials were inclin-
ed to view the 100000 prospect as
only q possibility, but the conserv-
alive estimates placed the final to-
tai at not less than 10000, gain
Of 10000 over the previous record.
In addition to partizan questions
these voters Tuesday will be called
upon to pass on four initiatives, one
referendum, and three constitution
al amendments, all but one Of
which provides for additional taxes
in one form or another.
Initiative No. 10l, the civil serv-
ice measure, provides for new gov
ernmental agency, a civil service
board, with its contigent bureaus
increasing governmental costs. The
civil service features Of the mea-
sure have been challenged by many
groups affected on the grounds that
the measure as drawn does not eff
fectively set up desired civil serv-
ice regulations.
Initiative No. lis, the Stevenson
pension plan, specifically provides
for $18,000,000 In new taxes, an
amount equal to approximately
twice the revenues Of the present
two percent sales tax. The tax would
be collected on business transac-
tions in the form Of a business and
occupational tax SO that the tax
in effect is another levy against the
consumer on his daily purchases.
Initiative No. ll9, the production
for use proposal, creates O new de-
partment Of government authorized
to levy new taxes against real and
personal property amounting to,
$10,000,000 annually. This new de-
partment Of government, consisting
of state and district production
use commissions, is further author
lied under the terms OF the meas
ure to incur a bonded indebtedness
of $60,0oo,00o.
Initiative No. ia, the forty-mill
limit law, is the only measure in the
group offering any tax relief. It en-
acts the present law limiting the
tax on real and personal property to
40 mills.
The pending referendum measure
authorizes the participation of the
state in flood control program TO
the extent of $15,000,0 900, providing
for the issuance of bonds in that
amount and for tax levy for their
retirement.
OF the three constitutional
amendments one provides for
graduated net income tax and the
Redistribution of property to make
it eligible for more taxes, another
for the doubling of compensation
for legislators, and the third for
power districts authorized to in
cur indebtedness and to levy taxes
to meet such Indebtedness.
The initiatives, referendum, and
constitutional amendments on the.
ballot, exclusive of all the taxes
authorized but not specifically set
forth, provide for new taxes ex-
ceeding $4,000, 900 annually and for
new bonded indebtedness OF $75,-
100000. To compute the total cost
Of this pending legislation these to- J.
tails must be supplemented with
revenues Of net income tax, pow
er district levies, and other taxes
authorized but not directly impos-
ed. A conservative estimate places
the cost Of the program at 5000 per
voter.