The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-11-26

America ostensibly is at peace and
Britain is in the third year of about
war. Total tax collections in the
United States-federal, state and local
this year will amount to % billion
500 million dollars, about % percent
of the estimated national income.
Total collections in the United King
dom, including local levies, will be
seven billion 900 million dollars, or ap-
proximately % percent of the national
income. American taxes will be S168
per capita, British taxes $685. Next
year, after the new U. S. levies have
been in operation for a year, the
American bill will be $3.50 per capita
and the British who also have addi-
tional taxes, $173. Because Britain's
income taxes have always been higher
than ours, there is widespread belief
in this country that the British are
generally more heavily taxed That
is not true, even in war time. Amer
leans, under the new bill, will paw
taxes the British never even heard of
and the British tax system is still
based, more so than ours, on ability
to pay The new United States tax
bill represents nothing more nor less
than brutal determination to get
the money somehow, somewhere, re-
CARELESS of the suffering it will i'm
pose on the poor, regardless of the
soaring profits of corporations in ode
Tense" production. August dividend
totals of U. S. corporations were the
largest since 1887 In the first eight
months of this year, the New York
Times list of selected corporations in
creased dividend payments 9 percent
over the same period last year.
.(Sources: for tax statistics, United
States Chamber of Commerce; for
dividend statistics, New York Times
Initiation is here. Most people are
not alive to their danger. Confiden-
tial letters from business mems spe-
cial services in Washington point this
out. Nobody takes government price
control seriously; it has never worked
yet and there is nothing to make us
believe it ever will work Initiation
can be fought only by the organized
strength of the consuming public-and
the great mass of this public is rep
resented by organized labor. Above
all, labor in this community and 9TH
ers must be awakened to the danger
Of actual hunger and drastic reduction
Of living standards which are in store
for us.
Unceasing pressure must be put on |
Address protests against |
rising living costs to Miss Harriet |
assistant administrator, office |
Of price administration; to senators
and congressman, above all, to the
President. Labor groups should meet
with middle class or professional |
groups, especially women's clubs: in
'lation hits the man on fixed salary
even harder than the wage Garner who
ian sometimes change his scale more
quickly. There should be unrelenting
effort to raise wages by every union
which has contract coming up for
legotiation.
Group buying by several families,
hopping around for the best bargains
n food, building materials, or cloth
ng, will help. Study clubs should be
to use Consumers Union
Reports, Consumers Guide, or similar
.dvisory publications. A continuing
Assembly committee should cooper
to with similar community mass
neetings to discuss the problem.
The local merchant is powerless to
rrest the trend to higher prices; put
he heat on in Washington, where it
elongs.