Evening star., 1944-12-06
House Security Tax
Vote Held indicative
|0f Certain Victory
BY J. A. O'LEARY.


The overwhelming majority by
which the House voted to freeze
social security payroll taxes for
another year yesterday encour-
aged supporters of the measure
to believe today that Congress
may pass it even over a presi-
Dental veto.
The House roll call of 263 to "a
was far more than the two-thirds
vote required to overcome 4 veto.
The last time the issue was before
the Senate, January II, the vote was
48 to II for the freeze, also more
than two-thirds.
Senate Acts Tomorrow.
Chairman George of the Senate
Finance Committee announced his
committee will meet in closed ses-
sion tomorrow to consider the House
measure and probably will approve
it without hearings. The House
Ways and Means Committee held
several days of hearings recently.
The effect of the House bill, If 1t
becomes law, would be to keep the
payroll taxes for old-age insurance
at the present rates of per cent
each on employer and employe
during 1915. If the bill fails, the
rates would 60 up automatically on
January to 2 per cent each, thereby
adding approximately $1,500, ,000, 600
to payroll tax collections during 1945.
Senator vandenburg, Republican,
OF Michigan, who has taken the
lead for the last four years in bring
ing about postponement of the in
crease, indicated today he wants the
freeze bill to be considered sepa-
rately on its merits, rather than
attempt to make it q rider on some
must" measure.
Advocates OF the freeze bill con-
tend the old-age reserve fund Is
more than adequate to meet antici-
pated benefit payments during the
next five years. BY January / the
fund is expected to aggregate $6,000,-
900 900.
Fear Burden Later.
Opponents of the bill argue that
failure to let the tax rates 90 up
now will merely increase the burden
that will have to be borne by other
taxpayers at some later date.
Some members of Congress are
believed to have favored leaving the
tax rates unchanged for the time
being because Of the likelihood that
the new Congress will consider
broadening the Social Security Act
to take in large groups of wage
earners not now covered, at which
time the adequacy of the tax rates
could again be considered
In radio address last night,
Senator Wagner, Democrat, of New
York promised to press for action
in the new Congress on the Dingell-
Wagner-Murray bill for comprehen-
siue expansion of the Social Security
Act to take in more workers and to
add disqualification and disability
payments to the present benefits.
Meanwhile, he opposed the freez-
ing of the tax rates for old-age in
surance.
Protests from organized labor
against another postponement of
the increase failed to dieter the
House. While the House was de-
batting the issue yesterday, william
Green, president of the AFL, ad-
dressed letter to all members, in
which he said:
THE workers Of the Nation want
a sound social insurance program
and they are willing to help meet its
costs through adequate payroll de-
ductions. Both major political par
ties are pledged to q system of So
cial security on sound principles. In
our opinion the initial step in the
fulfillment of that pledge is the de-
feat of this proposal in order to per-
NIT the provision of the present law
providing 2 per cent contribution
to 60 into effect on January 1, 1s45."