The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1939-06-29
A KEY WEST GAS TAX

The city council has picked out one
commodity for special taxation to meet
the need for municipal sponsorship Of fed
eral work projects. Gasoline is that COM
modify. The ordinance placing a NUM-.
cipal tax of one cent gallon on gasoline
has passed the council or first reading.
Assuming that ordinance finally passes
council and is signed by the mayor, what
then?
What kind of projects will the city
council sponsor? What kind Of effort will
be required of the relief workers who will
receive the taxation money? Will the
municipal gasoline tax become per-
manent racket? Will it actually be
abolished when the present so-called
sponsorship emergency ends? Will city
council do anything about collection Of
taxes now due the city, thus providing the
money to prevent similar emergencies in
the future?
Protests against contributions for
sponsorship of federal projects come from
those who believe their money will go
largely to pay allegedly unnecessary Of
flee and field supervisors employed by
WPA; from those who believe their money
will be wasted on weed-pulling, dirt-hfting
projects and from those who believe their
money will go to men who won't give an
honest days work once the projects are
sponsored.
The first protest appears unfounded.
Supervision costs on WPA projects are
fixed at per cent of the total expendi-
lures. Office forces employed here are
paid out of state WPA funds, not from
municipal sponsorship money. Field
supervisors are paid out of local appropria-
tions. Such supervision here is reported to
be less than / per cent Of the cost of each
project.
The second protest can be overcome
by council by STIMULATING that all money
raised by the gasoline tax shall be allotted
for sponsorship only of good public inn
.provements such as municipal beaches,
sewer and water connections, street re-
pairs. mosquito control and sanitation pro-
grams and the like.
The third protest is pretty well
founded. While some WPA workers do
give fair amount of work for the money
they receive, majority do not There is
daily visual evidence of excessive shovel
leaning, consuming and other waste
full practices on the mistaken theory that
the more a man loafs the longer the job
will last. Many men deliberately dodge
private employment where days pay in
wolves giving a days work in favor OF
WPA projects where we don't have to
work" No one can blame taxpayers for
protesting such practices. People gen
orally want something for their money. II
WPA workmen will produce a series OF
tangible public works without excessive
loafing the protests will end.
In passing gasoline or any other spe-
cial sponsorship tax city council is charged
with the duty of protecting the taxpayers
money from dissipation on bad projects by
lazy workers. Council is also charged
with the duty of providing for instant re-
peal of all such insidious taxes the minute
this alleged emergency ends. Further, city
council is charged with the responsibility
of collecting property taxes when they are
due and no matter from whom they are
due. Other taxpayers are tired of being
taxed to support other peoples property
and to provide jobs for men who won't
work.