Show Those Luxury Tax Tar Blues Luggage Shops Jewe Jewelers ers Cut Cud Prices But 20 Still No Sale Sae By Frederick C. C Othman V WASHINGTON ASHINGTON A leading luggage lug shop proprietor here has grown so weary of waiting waiting- for congress to cut excise taxes on suitcases and thereby send some customers through his door that he has reduced the price of his entire 20 O The exact amount of the tax Business isn't bad He even sold a few valises to congressmen congress cong men taking taking- their prolonged Easter vacation They got the same discount as everybody else This pained him I think I under under- stand Fur owners across the theland theland theland land have run out of fingernails to bite The tax plus a generally warm winter has ruined their business almost without tion Fur coat makers in New NewYork NewYork York mostly are looking for work The ladies are waiting for forthe forthe forthe the government to get its paws out of their pockets Lost Long t Brother A jeweler here welcomed me melike melike melike like a brother from 20 years in inthe inthe inthe the south seas when my old watch finally ran out with a clank I was vas his first customer for a watch in no telling when He said hed he'd tell me what hed he'd do I could pick out any watch in stock and hed he'd cut the thc price by 20 I got a beauty but I couldn't help feel feeling sorry for the poor jeweler The point of all this is that theres there's no telling now how howlong howlong howlong long it'll be before those excises excises excises ex ex- are arc slashed Congressmen returning from their Easter egg rolling at homo home report that they got a good earful on the subject from their neighbors Every movie theater they pas passed d had big red signs sig-ns saying kill the admission admission admission ad ad- mission tax Billboards carried similar messages Still Wrangling But the house ways and means committee where tax laws are supposed to get their start still Is wrangling in its gold-draped gold sanctum over how much the government should continue to collect on such luxuries as electric electric elec elec- trie light bulbs refrigerators kitchen stoves baby oils and feminine pocketbooks Hints seeping out indicate that theres there's no chance of the full tax being removed remo on any any- thing The he boys are thinking about maybe cutting the take talce taketo taketo to 10 on furs watches and suitcases If this is what they finally decide my jeweler and 1 street luggage man have been twice too generous In the background lurks a killjoy by the name of Honest John Snyder the secretary of ot the treasury He claims the government is too poor to cut these excises unless congress makes other taxes steeper to tomake tomake tomake make up for them In Xo No Mood This congress seems to be inno in inno inno no mood to do Eventually when the gentlemen get around to it they're likely to cut luxury taxes a little and raise other imposts imposts imposts im im- im- im posts not at all If they do President Truman is likely to take Honest Johns John's advice adice and veto the whole thing Hes He's practically said he would This unhappy dispatch I hate to write Ive I've been waiting a long longtime longtime longtime time to buy light bulbs so I could stay up at night and earn money to pay my income tax but apparently this is not notto notto notto to be for a while Ill I'll continue to tobe tobe tobe be taxed for the privilege of paying taxes And if you need a watch or even a mink coat for cool coolspring coolspring coolspring spring evenings you might as aswell aswell aswell well buy it and enjoy it The tax savings when as and if arent aren't going going- to be much Copyright 1950 United Feature Syndicate |