The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1957-04-26

States Fiscal Picture Gloomy


cies to live within their budgets that only in event
extreme will the states top fiscal board pemi
expenditures above and beyond departmental budgets
The financial problem facing the state administration
extremely difficult one one which shows promise o.
begin with the Legislature increased appropriations by
than SIG million and legislative leaders contended they
had also increased sufficiently to the SIG mil
lion The Board of Equalization the other hand estimated
that probable increased would amount to about So
million less than total legislative appropriations In view OF
developments is this Editors opinion that the
Board of Equalzations estimates high.
That opinion is based
l. Gross income of metal miners for down at
least SIS million from 1856 according to figures put out by the
Unemployment Compensation Commission in its April MON
TANA LABOR MARKET This slash in earnings due to the
cutting back fveday week Loss of that sixth day
sened the cream in the miners ea1ningsthe portion
which the state income tax would draw the greatest return
in addition two Butte mines have been closed down recent
weeks Indications that there be further drops in
and March
Logging-umber employment off per COM
pared with 1856 The lumber industry of ontanas most
important because of drastic cutback in home constru
ton throughout the nation slated for depressed
poSon as is ALREADY pagung our agrcu! ana livestock
industries The worening lumber economy is already affecting
business and job opportunities the several northwest counties
of the state with jobs for skilled craftsmen hard to come by
this spring.
last week by Ezra Taft Benson will hasten the foreclosure trend
throughout with
farmers having less and less income which pay
State taxes was any grain
income prior to Benson announcement it will have
been effectively separated from agricultural economy by
1858 harvest time.
considerably end
for the first three months of the year.
Because Eisenhower prosperity" is passing substan
a portions of the Montana quite possible
the Governor will have to call special legislative assembly
with the states worsening fiscal condition. Should
special session be called it will behoove the cizenry become
increasingly vgant against the Sales Tax siren of
lodging corporate interests.
To combat this general sales propaganda legislators
provided with information detailing
securing additional tax from segments of the
which presently falling short of paying their equt
able share of the tax load revised tax to
greater equality for example, could include:
L. Enactment of the 1857 MCGOWAN bill to collect income
off Montana earnings of nonresidents whether from
farming business properties Investments etc. This excellent
of legislation killed in Senate by pressure
corporation lobbyists representing Ouoftate major oil
teres the New Montana Power Company
and other foreign corporation representatives Had been
enacted it would have produced estimated So million
biennum.
g. Enactment of legislation suggested by the State Board
Equalization to effectively close the oophoes in the
tons doing business the avoid paying due
their Montana business volume These oophoes the
state hundreds of thousands of dollars CAS- exampeone
oil company literally "backjacked" into making
promise settlement back taxes to the tune of 67000 where
that major had been getting with paying only the
SIS minimum corporation license tax each Had the
chosen to have the risk Of mountain of bad pub
LEFTY going the SGT 900 very
doubtful the State could have under law
CAS- second eXampleanoher major corporation got by with
only SIS minimum tax payment in 1854 when ordinarily its
corporation license tax the neighborhood of 100000
the State Board of Equalization all its efforts
unable to find enough law to make that corporation
realistic tax for that year, il
occupational tC