Evening star., 1944-02-22
Presidentvetoes
New Tax Bill in
Terms
Coils 1t Measure
To Relieve Greedy,
And Not the Needy
(Tert OF Message on Page A-5J

(Tert OF Message on Page A-5)
President Roosevelt today We
toed the $2,315,000,00O new tax
bill, telling the Hous in sharp
ly worded message that the
measure "is not a tax bill, but a
tax-relief bill providing relief
not for the needy, but for the
greedy"
While the bill "purports" to raise
more than s2,0O0,0O ,0OO the Presi-
dent said, actually it will produce
less than a billion for the Treasury
and "as tax BILL" therefore, IT
am compelled to decide that it is
wholly Ineffective toward that end
The President added that "the
bill is replete with provisions which
not only afford indefensible spec ii
privileges to favorite groups, but sets
a dangerous precedent for the fu-
ture' and that this tendency to-
ward special privilege is in itself
sufficiently dangerous to counter
balance the loss of a very made
quate sum in additional revenues"
House to Vote Thursday.
The administration revenue pro-
gram called for $10,50o, 900 900 in
new taxes, and the President re-
called that persons prominent in
our national life have stated in no
uncertain terms that this figure
was too low. He apparently re-
ferred to the recent statement by
Wendell Willkie, Republican presi-
Dental candidate, that the figure
should be boosted to $4,000, 900 900.
Speaker Rayburn announced yes
terday after White House confer
ence that the President would veto
the tax bill, and arrangements have
been made in the House to vote
Thursday on whether the veto will
be sustained or overridden. Both
sides are claiming victory.
While the President criticized
many features of the bill, he did not
mention the provision which would
require annual reports from labor
unions, farm co-operatives and
other nonprofit tax-exempt organ
izations on their fiscal status. This
provision has been bitterly criticized
by unions, though 1t was not men,
toned in recent blast at the tax
bill by Philip Murray, CIO presi-
dent, who urged veto and charged
that the tax legislation is a be-
trayal OF every principle of sound,
wartime taxation
Raps Tax Complexities.
The President reserved some of
his sharpest criticism for the so
called pay-as-you-go tax plan"
adopted last year, asserting that
1t was not the product OF this
administration and that every tax
payer in the country, including
ourselves. is disappointed, confused
and bewildered over the practical
results" of the measure.
The Nation will readily under
stand that 1t is not the fault of
the Treasury Department that the
income tax payers are flooded with
forms to fill out which are so COM
plex that even certified public ac-
countants cannot interpret them,
the President said.
No, it is squarely the fault of
the Congress of the United States
in using language in drafting the
law which not even a dictionary or
,thesaurus can make clear"
Need Simplifica ton.
Calling on Congress to live up
to the promise to simplify tax laws
which would in turn provide SIM
plifled returns, the President said
that taxpayers ''are not in a mood
to study higher mathematics. He
added that Congress had ignored
the most obvious step toward SIM
plifying taxes by retaining "the
clumsy victory tax" for fear OF
dropping from the rolls taxpayers
at the bottom of the income scale
The vetoed bill proposes to provide
ST ,051 300, 900 by raising excise rates
and the President suggested that a
special measure be passed to retain
these boosts, explaining that he
would be glad" to approve it.
Urging quick action toward SIM
pliflcation, the President said the
responsibility of Congress is to sup
ply the Government of the United
TC-. m yr,C