Show Special Tax Avoidance Privilege for Public Officials Is Not Justifiable The congress recently voted to in increase increase increase in- in crease the salary of the president from to a year At the same time it voted to boost salaries of the vice president and the speaker of the house to These salary increases were fully justified The Telegram favored them But in addition to this straight salary increase congress also voted special expense expense ex ex- pense allowances It gave the president an allowance of a year which is in addition to a existing allow allow- ance Furthermore it made the entire tax free with no ac accounting re re- re It gave the vice president and andI the speaker a tax free allowance of I a year earI ear I In the debate on this measure in the senate Utah's Senator Arthur V. V VatI Watkins Vat Wat- I kins opposed the grant of the tax free i allowances He declared it was simply a subterfuge to give a salary increase which would be The presidents president's expense account is traveling under a false name said Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Watkins It is actually nontaxable nontaxable able salary It is purely a camouflage to disguise or hide the real purpose of the bill biU which is of course the granting of a salary increase We Ve think there is good ground for tor opposition to the arbitrary granting of a tax free expense account to any public official It is not only the president the vice president and the speaker of the house who are Involved Every member of congress is also involved for they have voted themselves arbitrary 2500 a year tax free expense accounts Now there is no question that the president has bas large legitimate expenses in fulfilling his official duties He trav tray els eIs extensively He has to do and pay for many things which are not personal but which are arc not chargeable to any other government account The same thing applies to other officials and to members of congress The people should pay all the legitimate expenses of their elected and appointed public officials Nobody argues about that But public officials officials officials of of- should not get special treatment They should not get a privileged position on avoidance of income taxation And that is exactly what this granting of tax free expense allowances regardless of any accounting or actual expenses per per- mits Does congress approve a tax free expense allowance for presidents of corporations with no accounting re required required required re- re Not by a n. The ordinary citizen who has any business expenses must make a strict accounting in order to get tax relief And they have to be legitimate expenditures The Telegram has argued for tor an Increase in increase in In- cr crease ase in the presidential salary salary and and for that matter for increases in the salaries of other key federal officials and members members members mem mem- bers of congress That has nothing to do with the case We Ve believe all public officials of should be paid on a level commensurate com corn with their responsibilities But we do not think public officials are any different than the rest of American citizens We Vc do not think they are entitled entitled entitled en en- titled to tax exemption or tax reduction privileges As a matter of fact tact the the- themen men who vote heavy income taxes for the people of America should feel the full effect of ot those taxes in their own personal lives Its It's a bit too easy to hand out tax tax tax-or or any other kind of punishment when punishment when youre you're always on the giving end |