Montana labor news., 1949-03-31
MULTlPLE-THREAT TAXATION BY
.MONTANA'S 3la LEGISLATURE

III 10 ~
car to our Montana legislature.
examine carefully the recent enact
ment known a, II. r. pa. with all
1t, ramiiications and implications
and YOU will readily admit that for
sheer audaci,y this bill qualities its
supporters for m~atriculation in the
state university maintained at Warm
Springs.
Space does not permit relating all
the ramifications or implications OF
this legislative brainstorm but q
few OF the high spot sea- be touched
and the implications toward future
I taxation noted.
Briefly the bill is known as the
car Use Tax and imposes 4 tax
Tin addition to all the other numer-
aus taxes which the car owner paysl
oi IRON three dollars up to 500, de-
pending upon the size OF the We
hiclcl. the first effect OF this bill
being To make toll roads OF the
highways OF the state from and
alter January |, 1880.
NOW before gong further into
the ramiiications OF the bill-and
i, has them in plenty. lets consider
the implication, a. TO future taxa
ton methods.
The car owner has purchased his
car and before securing a license
to drive il OH the highway he must
pay his personal property tax on
the car. Also he must pay his poll.
road, or poor tax before he can even
apply Tor his license. Then having
paid these taxes he is privileged Ia
apply Tor his car license, paying
another Zee Of five dollars up, de-
pending on the size and weight OF
the car. Now he must buy his
drivers license emitting him to
operate the car. and must pay q
tax on every gallon OF fuel he puts
into the tank. But he still isn't
ready to take to the road. After
January |. 1880 under II. B. 84 he
must pay an additional ice Of from
81 up ior the privilege OF driving his
own already overtaxed car On the
state highways which his tax money
has paid FOR building.
Now we'll assume that after pur-
chasing the car and paying all the
numerous taxes and fees which he
must pay before he can drive his
own car on his own highways. that
the owner has enough money LETT
10 buy a suit Of clothes, or at least
a shir, and o,eralls. Ii the Car
Use Tax" principle Of this bill IS
sound. the legislative assembly can
place a Use Tax on the clothes.
the shirt and o~erails. u tusase-h
this principle is upheld you may be
compelled to pay a Use Tax" Tor
wearing a shirt and overalls.
As a penalty for failure to pay this
Car Use Tan" Tor the privilege
of driving your overtaxed car on
the highways which you have built
the assembly tackled on a clause
making failure to pay the tax a
misdemcanor punishable BY a fine
al not more than $500. or a SEN
tencc OF not more than sixty days
in Jail. or both. and highway pa
trolmen Will be kept busy stopping
drivers to inquire il they have paid
the tax.
In NO a war was fought because
Of an unjust tax levied by England
against the colonies and practically
every revolution was brought about
by unjust or unreasonable taxation
III nov begins to appear that an
other Boston Tea Party was in
order.
The Governor III his message
stated that designed the bill with
considerable reluctance a remark
which will probably stand as a
masterpiece OF understatement. But
evidently his desire Tor additional
highway funds was permitted to out
weigh his better Judgment.
As to the penalty OF fine and I'M
%prisonment carried in the bill, VIZ
had debtorc prisons in the early
DAYS Of the nation and we had
thought they were a thing Of the
pas, but evidently our 5lst Montana
assembly j., making different ar
engagements.
The writer has long been 4 mem
Der 81 the labor groups and as an
official of his organization has
signed several "anti-communist' at
iidayi,s a. required By the TAFT
Hartley act. .At the time OF sign
inc these afiidavits | could truth
iully ,ay that | did not believe in
the overthrow OF the government
by lnrcc or violence. but this type
loi legislation makes one wonder il
perhaps after all Jefferson was right
when he said that every state should
have a revolution every ten years
and frankly ii a lawmaking bod,
can get away with this kind OF leg
islation | am well along the road To
! a change of heart.
There should be a reienedum on
ihi, bill and il the public attitude
towards %tyrannical legislation i,
: what ii Was hack in colonial day.
/: there undoubtedly will be.
Ii We haven't enough intelligence
I. 10 finance a highway program with
/: out resorting u such high-jackins
!. methods. then we should acknowi
:: edge that we haven't the sense o
our iorefathers and start travelling
!. hx "SbanL's ,ra-er