The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-05-13
STATE RELIEF BILL PASSED
and LEGISLATURE CLOSES
Measure Is Estimated To Raise
$4,000, 1000; Centers About New
Venture Into Taxation
LEVY MADE ON INCOMES

Tired legislators wound up their
fifth session in two years early Friday
morning at Annapolis after writing a
$5,O00,000 yearly relief revenue pro-
gram which conferred about a brand
new Maryland venture into taxation
the income tax.
For the first time in those five ses-
sions the House of Delegates rammed
Taxation program through the Sem
ate-over the opposition of senators
who in the past four sessions had
controlled things legislative.
But, it was not until an hour before
the session actually ended that dead
lock was averted-and it was averted
only by one-vote margin. By ALB
vote, the Senate decided to concur in
the House proposal to tax pin ball ma
chimes.
House Bill LOCALIZED Claw Machines
Last minute developments-dev
opments about which few persons
knew-came near tying up matters.
The House amended the Senate reve-
nue. bill according to previously ar
ranged plans-but the amendment car
ried a section legalizing claw machines
as we'll as pin ball machines.
Few persons in the House knew of
that. The Senate Finance Committee
spotted it, however, and the reaction
was immediate and violent.
House leaders were informed the
Senate never would accept legalization
of claw machines. The House recalled
the bill, reconsidered the vote by which
it had passed on third reading, elimi-
mated the claw contraptions, re-passed
the bill and returned it to the Senate.
Even after the legislature had adj
journed and the members gone home,
no one knew exactly what stand Gov
ernor Harry Nice would take on the
relief bill. The pin ball legalization was
included in the relief bill passed by the
regular session and was vetoed.
Nice Opposes Further Legal Gambling
The Governor in vetoing the regular
session bill, came out against further
Equalization of gambling in Maryland.
Bookmaking and pin ball machines
came under his especial censure in that
case. Bookmaking, however, is not in
cluded in the new bill.
The income tax is estimated to raise
$1,500,000 yearly and is one-half
of one per cent on incomes of both indi-
viduals and corporations. 1t is on in
comes for 1887 and is payable yearly
before March Is.
The exemptions are 1000 for sin
gle person and $4,000 for a married
person, with further exemptions of
$500 for each dependent.
The tax emerged as a serious con-
tender only in the closing days of the
session.
Governor Nice, in reconvening the
session only few days after the reg
ular 90-day meeting ended, recommen-
ded program built around a gross
receipts tax of y of one per cent.
His program stood no chance from
the very day the session began.
A tax on cigaretts and a consumers
sales tax were discussed. Each met
serious opposition.
The income tax itself was discarded
tentatively at one time in favor of an
additional two-cent tax on real estate.
Then the real estate tax was discarded
for the income tax.
Governor Harry W. Nice will act on
the relief revenue bill passed by the
legislature on May 18.
At the same time he will dispose of
approximately 100 bills passed at the
regular session.
The Governor said he had adopted
the stand that the legislature, by fiat,
had taken pin ball machines out of the
class of gambling and made it a game
of skill and that removed his objec-
tons to that feature.