Evening star., 1950-02-26
State axes
TokeBigB Bite
From Dollar
All 48 Collected
More Than Eight
Billion in '4o
By Sierid Arne

State budgets are doing all right,
too.
Not since 1888 has single one
of the As States decreased the
amount of money it took in from
taxpayers. In 1949 the States
alone took 100000 out of
the pockets Of taxpayers.
! Between Uncle Sam, the States,
the cities and the counties you
and I paid out $54, ,500.000.O00 in
taxes in 1948. a fifth of our ma
tional income.
Those figures are from the
United States Census Bureau.
This year three State admins
trations have decided a little thrift
might be a good thing. And two
Governors have actually urged
their Legislatures to save the tax
payer a little.
An Associated Press survey
shows that the governments of
New York. South Carolina and
Louisiana hope to write lower
budgets this year. That does not
necessarily mean the taxpayer will
get any immediate relief.
Louisiana Tops List
The two Governors who are ask
ing some help for the taxpayer
are Gov. William P. Lane, jr.. of
Maryland and Gov. C. A. Robins
of Idaho. Gov. Lane wants to cut
property taxes and wants more
liberal exemptions on the income
tax. Gov. Robins wants the Idaho
Legislature to cut either the in
come tax or the ad valorem tax or
both. The ad valorem is q tax
Idaho levies on it's counties. The
counties then may collect from
their own residents.
Louisiana taxpayers should be
particularly delighted over the
news that the States budget may
be reduced. The Census Bureau
reports that Louisiana's tax COL
lections last year jumped SO per
cent-higher than in any other
State.
Thirty mine States reported in
creases in collections last year.
Texas had jump Of 81 per cent.
Some State tax collectors didn't
do SO well, however. New Jerseys
tax yield fell IA per cent and Con-
necticut's II per cent.
The Census Bureau reports that
last year the 48 States took in
taxes totaling an average $57.43I
for every man, woman and child.
Louisiana easily topped all the
States, taking 1929 per capita.
Washington was the only State
close to that with $90.07. On
their heels were California with
$8341, Colorado with $75.55 and
Michigan with $73.06.
Nebraskans got off the best,
with only 1852 per head.
You can figure taxes another
way-how high they are as
against what the people and the
business concerns earned. Some
States with pretty good incomes
will turn over comparatively low
amounts in taxes, and the other
way around.
Here's how the Census Bureau
figures your State tax collectors
on that score. The percentages
are figured for 1949 taxes as
against 1948 income.
Louisiana again tops the list. It
took go per cent of what its cit
liens and business earned. The
average for all States was Al
per cent.
Other States high in this reck-
oning are North Carolina with 6.5
per cent; Oklahoma, ga per cent,
and Washington, 6.2 per cent.
Low States were Nebraska with
"a per cent; New Jersey, 2.7 per
cent; Illinois, 80 per cent.
Census figures show that it is
the auto owner who gets socked
the worst by the State tax collec-
tor. He gets hit by the gasoline
and oil tax and by the licenses he
has to buy for both himself and
the car. These collections brought
in the largest sums taken by the
States in both 1948 and 1949.
Gas and oil taxes yielded the
States 81 1850, 900, 900 in 1948 and
81, 1872 ,000,0 900 last year. License
fees brought the States an addi-
tional $593 million in 1948 and
1868 million last year.
That isn't all that hits the auto
owner. The Tax Foundation of
New York points out that when
you buy car that costs $4,000,
the tax collector is already into
your pocket for $5l1.50 for direct
and indirect taxes of the material
and work which goes into the car.
Sales Tax Next
All States charge for auto Ii
censes. There is only one State
that doesn't charge the driver as
well. That's South Dakota.
The second biggest take by the
State tax collector comes In gen.
eral sales taxes. The Census Bu-
reau found that tax took in $1,479
million for State budgets in 1948
and 1905 million in 1949. Only
t27 States have such a tax.
Seventeen States collect no in
come tax, among them some of
the biggest and most populous
States. They are Connecticut,
Florida, Illinois. Indiana, Maine,
Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Jersey. Ohio. Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Dakota, Texas,
| Washington, West Virginia and
Wyoming.
| Perhaps sales taxes have helped
out the large States which have
no income tax. Four of them
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and
Illinois - take in good sized
amounts through sales taxes.