The Wilmington morning star., 1944-02-05
By WEsTBRooK PEGLER

ALBANY.-lt would be 1OOuSh 10 pretend
that the rising interest in Tom Deweys work
as governor of New York is limited to just
that. Although he is not declared candidate
for the Republican nomination for the presi-
dency nobody is naive enough to think he
would refuse it and that is why his work as
governor the adoption of short, understand
able state income tax form, his determination
10 make the cities meet their financial re-
sponsibilities so as to reduce their debts. the
better to meet postwar conditions his attitude
toward the people whom he regards as citi-
zens, not wards of the government are of
national interest
This new state income tax form consists of
Just one page for taxpayers whose income
consists of wages, salaries, commissions pen
sons interest, dividends, partnerships, estates
or trusts It contains only % questions and
schedules from to l. such as were you
married and living with your wife or hus-
band?' and IF so state name and did your
wife or husband have a separate income and
if so is it included in this return?"
There is reverse side, but half of that is
taken up by instructions and the blanks on
the top half are for the explanation OF deduc-
tons claimed on page one. 1t can be used
for incomes up to any amount derived from
the sources specified, by contrast with the
idiotic federal return required of individuals
above a certain rather modest bracket which
is so complicated that an honest citizen ac-
tualy can commit a seriou violation of law
in good faith because only few phrenolog-
lists in the treasury in Washington can under
stand it.
Moreover although Dewey has not attacked
the subject his tax department is imbued
with the idea that the federal and state gov
ernments should divide the tax field by agree
ment and avoid Implications as in the case OF
the income tax, not now but in reform
after the war. The income tax is the horrible
example of this duplication, the more dan
gerous from the standpoint of the civic devo-
ton of the individual. because the New York
law compels the citizen to pay a state tax
on money already paid to the national treas
ury a plainly cynical imposition.
The question may be raised, for example
whether the federal government has any right
to collect amusement taxes inaSmuch as
amusement is strictly local occasion.
man takes a girl to the movies. In what
respect is that interstate transaction? If
the federal government may tax tickets, why
may it not tax real estate? But if it confines
itself to its own traditional American respon-
sibilities it won't have to collect local taxes.
The Dewey administrators tendency seems
to be toward restoration of the responsibility
of the subdivisions of government and the
division of taxing powers so that the federal
government will not be collecting from the
people to finance local improvements and as
Stunning the function of the subdivisions with
out reducing their Wasteful and irresponsible
rapacity. Similarly, the state would operate
in it's own well-defined tax field and the cities
and other inferior subdivisions would have to
make their own way on their own revenues.
Recently, Dewey's controller, Frank Moore,
has been telling careless cities that they can't
refund old bond issues but will have to pay
them off, There is political risk in this be-
cause it means higher immediate local taxes
in some cases but Dewey pointed out IN
speech to meeting of~publishers that one
city has repeatedly refunded an issue OF bonds
sold to raise soldier bounties in the Civil war
and is still paying interest on them although
the payments have amounted to many tunes
the original amount. In another case, boss
Tweed in 1868 sold bond issue paying 7
per cent to pay for a sidewalk in the Bronx.
The sidewalk is gone and probably no man
lives who remembers it.
Some of the bonds will mature in 1875, -
he said, ''but some cannot be paid for another
100 years since they are not callable. The
bonds go on and on. These stories could be
multiplied by the hundred"
There is no Harry Hopkins anywhere in the
Dewey state government nor Henry Nor
genthau or Randolph Paul There are no time
less moochers CHARTERED in the governor S
rSanson or embittered failures in the battle
Of life striving to revise the rules in favor of
the incompetent to the detriment and dis
coura cement of those who are able.
That smplified tax return is bright ex-
ample of the new type of New Deal. The old
one including instructions, contained six pages.
-V