The Daily Alaska empire., 1941-01-16
FAULKNER DISCUSSES
 TAxATI0N
Mines, Fisheries Would Be A Hit by Broader Tax
 Base, Claim

industries are to be expected tC pay even more toward the support of the Territory, there isn't any way of. broadening the tax bast structure in Alaska, because every thing else depends on these two industries, H. L. Faulkner declared at today's Juneau Chamber pi Commerce meeting in discussion of the tax problem which will face the Territorial Legislature.
 With the exception of the schools where he declared a small increase is inevitable, due to the growing population of Alaska. there isn't any place where we should even think of raising taxes for appro- priations,' the attorney said P Money for an increased educa- tional appropriation can be had without an increase in taxation be said by collecting taxes now on the books and which it is alleged are not paid in many cases and by getting along without a good many things for two years, or one any, way"
 Miners Urged to Pay
 MT Faulkner said the Alaska Miners Association, upon whose resolution urging economy in Ter ritorial government he reported to- day, has urged all it's members to pay the taxes they owe the Ter ritory.
 The Miners Association, affiliated with the American Mining Con gress, has 129 operator members and l74 individual members Four members of the Legislature belong to it. MT. Faulkner said that every person who belongs to this Cham ber every person who has an in terest in the Territory, should be- long"
 The speaker reiterated the advice of Jack Hellenthal at last weeks s Chamber meeting that the test on every Territorial appropriation item should be. Can we get along with out it?"
 Mining Problems
 MT. Faulkner said the mining industry is faced with some very serious problems at present, taxa ton being only one of them. Gov ernment priority on equipment, he said, is making it difficult or im- possible in some cases for mines to operate The best men are being drawn off into defense industries and the defense program has not yet got underway at all.' He re- ferred to the manner in which the last war caused the closing of the Alaska Gastineau mine, which he said meant just as much to the community then as the Alaska Ju- neau does today.
 Most of us take the Alaska Ju neau Gold Mining Company for granted, he said. It is an industry employing 1000 men and whose payroll was million and a half last year. Last year this mine paid $3l0 ,000 in taxes, $l34,000 of it 10 the Territory in the form of gross gold tax alone Recent newspaper accounts on the 1940 profit of the mine failed to mention that the figure given was before deductions for taxes, depletion and deprecia- tion.
 He referred to higher Federal taxes in effect and in prospect and read predictions to this effect from magazines and pamphlets.
 Budget Increases
 MT. Faulkner said he understood the ordinary budget to be present. ed by various Territorial bureaus would ask for an increase of S400,- GOO this biennium and that an ad ditional $3OO,o0O would be asked for University of Alaska building,
 
 S3OO,OOO was recommended by the Commissioner of Education for junior colleges, $30Oo00 would be asked for industrial schools and a number of other requests are cer- tain.
 He said broadening of the tax base was a very meritorious thing and he hoped it could be accom- plished. But he warned that m income tax and property tax would fail to produce revenue if the min- ing and fishing industries should have bad year, for almost every thing is dependent on, them.
 Tt should be the duty of every patriotic person." he concluded, ito make every attempt to reduce pub lie expenditures in the interest oi national defense
 After MT. Faulkner's report, the Chamber endorsed the Alaska Min CTS Association resolution and or dered copies sent to all Chambers in the Territory and to Alaska news l papers.
 r. Copies of the Alaska Planning Councils study Taxation in Alas ka" were furnished each member 1 of the Chamber today by Executive Secretary J. E. Pegues.