The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-10-25
FROM EDITORIAL COLUMNS
Robbing the Poor To Educate the Rich

1t is common knowledge that despite our high
standard of living there great number of people
difficult the ordinary cost of living
standard required for health These people also
perence difficulty in providing their children with adequate
clothing and other requirements for school attendance And
these the people who would feel most desperately the
added burdens of sales tax the necessities of life
many years past, efforts have been made by
legislators prompted by the special interests of the state to
pass sales tax legislation In instance
based emotional appeal has been given excuse for
introducing such legislation AS example, of the last
bills introduced provided that the funds accrung should
toward adequate old assistance This year the plea
for adequate funds for the states schools that sales
tax is the only recourse.
The proponents a sales make mention of any
other possibilities of raising meet increased de-
the following suit and while they not be
openly advocating this nqutous form of taxation they take
the stand that and not up to them
to help figure and means to secure the additional FUNDS
by equitable In other words they renouncing
of citizen responsibility democracy
of the most important issues facing Montana today
past years. real estate tax for state pur
has been levied and there has been effort made to
increase the taxes the public utilities operating in the state
The state administration has done much Boosting
about reduction of the taxes for state but meanwhile
apparently ignoring educational system of the
And while the Montana Power Company for decades
permitted pay valuation of about half of the
valuation it used for ratemakng purposes seemed
worry the legislative assemblies Now that the Federal
Commission has ordered the Montana Power Company
to wiring more than fifty millions of dollars of water out of
its capital stock structure if it shows profits that constituted
big the values reported for rate making
in the past the current years profits should be reay
thing and should constitute real revenue source.
The present state administration has also boosted about
the large surplus accumulated in the general fund from its
liquor monopoly and other While the mismanaged
liquor administration has not brought much into
the states Golfers did previous administrations though
they obviously shot through with graft and corruption
this should be investigated and appears
certain that better administration of that could
great deal of additional which the state needs
There be against the need for funds
system Teachers underpaid and the
tire system could do with overhaulng However there is
only place to get and that where the
lists.
Admittedly any sales tax hits the lowest income groups
HARDEST The people in them need just much food as those
the wealthy groups They need to keep and to have
decent place in which to live And has been stated
they difficulties to find to the
sites life This group of peopeand they not few in
Montana-wi who will feel the pinch of the adj
tiona burden them imposed by form of sales tax
entirely possible that sales tax is enacted and the
improved the children of people in the low income
will not be able to avail themselves of the advantages
They will every cent of income just to maintain life.
Let's not rob the to educate the rich-Farmers
niOn Navc