The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-02
COP Big-wigs Would Shift
 Taxes 10 Those Least Able To Pay, Democrats Charge
y the Democratic National Committee

8y the Democratic National Committee
 IEvYING taxes is always unpleasant-but . good test of statesmanShp.
 m 194O, faced with meeting rapidly rising defense eosts President Roosevelt reiterated the fundamen tai principle of the Administrations tax policy. Tt B our dudty" he said, ito see that the burden $ equiably distributed according to ability to pay"- . valid principle at all times.
 In 1883, the Administrations first job was plug gng loopholes left by Republicans for wealthy tax payers. By deductng Wall Street losses from income, setting up personal holding companies, and incorpo rating their yachts and Florida play-spots, many milronaires were paying no taxes at all
 Stopping this abuse, the administration progress sively increased rates of tax in the higher income brackets as well as gift and estate taxes With the approach of war-and in an election year at that the President couraegously asked for a realistic tax law-which will tax all unreasonable profits, both individual and corporate, and reduce the ult- mate cost of war to our sons and daughters"
 And how did the Republicans respond to this ap- proyal to take the profits out of war? They voted IS to against it. And now, in the midst of the costliest war in history Candidate Dewey talks giibly of imneditae drastic reductions in personal income and business taxes. Here is another Trojan gift horse, and the great mass of Americans should beware Inside, they'll find some very unpleasant surprises.
 THE trick is to lower direct taxes and substitute indirect sales taxes the necessities of fe-a tax that weighs heaviest upon those least able to pay. COP spokesmen in the Congress have long been cam paigning for sales tax.
 That is the Republican tax program in 8 nutshell
 ito shift onto the weakest shoulders the burden of meeting obligations, to CT Joe and others. That was the Republican program 20 years ago, under Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, who not only slaShed the taxes of the rich but gave them back huge sums, leaving the Treasury without funds to meet the depression. That was their policy in l943 when the Republicans voted overwhelmingly for the Ruml tax Forgiveness" plan chiefly benefitng those in the higher brackets.
 Under the administrations policy We are accom- plshing the unprecedented job this year of meeting half war expenditures through current taxes The evils of imitation and profiteering have been licked And next year. under administration measure, we shah all use greatly simplfied tax forms.
 BUT, says Candidate Dewey, our present tax pro- gram is retarding business We'll in 1892 with low taxes business suffered net loss of $5 800 100000 1940. with high and equitable taxes, it had net pr of $5000 00000 and last year net profits after taxes totalled $9,000,000, ,O00-an time high.
 Even more important business faces reconver- sion with confidence under sound tax structure The administration has provided cash for quick tract settlements. To encourage full employment, war producers have been generously protected against loss during postwar readjustment.
 After the war has been won, after solemn obligations to CT Joe have been met taxes will go down in fair and orderly manner-under the Roosevelt administration.