Show STATE ST ATE SEEKS TO HALT TAX EV EVASION LOSS Officials Discuss Use Road-Use Levy in Efforts to Plug Leaks State officials met Thursday afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon at the call of Governor George H. H Dern to discuss ways of plugging leaks in some sone of the states state's special tax channels channels' Members of the newly organized tax evasion league attended attend attend- ed the meeting C One subject discussed was delinquencies delinquencies delinquencies delin delin- in the payment of for auto hire or use road-use taxes According to figures supplied by the public utilities ties commission and the state treasurer treasurer treas treas- delinquencies in this tax total about for the year Figures available in the office of ot the utilities commission indicate that approximately approximately approximately was due the state from this tax during 1931 The state treasurer treasurer treasurer treas treas- reports collections have amounted amount amount- ed to TAX SPECIFIED The l law w specifies that carriers shall pay a certain tax per ton-mile ton or per passenger-mile passenger for or the use of state highways The public utilities commission commission com corn mission is supposed to compute the tax and certify it to the state treasurer treasurer treasurer treas treas- who does the collecting The state highway department gets the mone money for road building Enforcement depends largely upon I county attorneys who are not interested interested interested inter inter- ested since the county gets none of the he money The club which enforcing officers use is attachment of the equipment of ot the delinquent carriers In n many cases this equipment is so tied up that the states state's lien often Is of little ittle value The argument between the tax commission commission com corn mission and the utilities commission I Continued on oll Pa pae c Fourteen Sf STATh A TE SEEKS TO HALT TAX EVASION lOSS Continued from Pate Page Eleven a as S to which organization has the re responsibility re- re s of collecting the tax tx was a another nother reason for the delin delin- q quency The law states that the public pub pub- l lc lic ie utilities commission shall certify t the he tax tx but the constitution indicates t that hat the tax commission hns has full fuU c charge harge of all al tax tx administration This matter mater was finally settled some weeks a ago go by the te tax tx commission naming namin t the he utilities commission as a its agent The Te legislature has appropriated mone money for the computation of the tax b but ut has not specifically designated money to the state treasurer for the c collection of the tax tar ADD TO COMPLICATIONS The question queston of the size she sie of or loads load on t the he trucks which is i the concern concer not o of f the tax tx commission or utilities commission com corn mission but of ot the road rond department a and nd the secretary of state also complicated com corn matters maters Finally Finaly it was vas brought out that the permit law which gives the public Utilities the right to regulate carriers t which transport for a limited number nuber o of ot f specified clients clent has hns never been t tested ested in court and that the utilities commission does not know whether t the he provisions of the act ne are t tonal The general view of or the meeting was that the various agencies agences should cooperate more and that legislative action might be taken next year to clarify matters Representatives from the tax ta commissIon commission com corn mission the public utilities commission commis commis- s sion ian the road rond department the attorney attorney ator- ator ney general and the state treasurer attended the meeting |