Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-04-05 | Page 9 | "Luxury Taxes" to Curb Useless Spending

lUXURY TAXES TO CURB USELESS SPENDING Congress to Put Penalty on Gems Jewels and andAll andAll andAll All Finery By United Press WASHINGTON April 5 Increased luxury taxes to discourage nonessential Industries and help the government government govern govern- ment save ship t tonnage serving no war purpose are being ad advocated In congress con con- gress Curb American extravagance and the production of war supplies will be increased is the claim of the higher taxes And It is claimed it would conserve money for Liberty loans loans and and steady the interest rates In a stat statement ment on the plan today Representative Hull HuU Tennessee member member member mem mem- ber of ot the house ways and means comI committee com com- one one ne of the house tax authorities authorities authorities I ties since America entered the war war war- declared that the best way to curb ex extravagance extravagance ex- ex is by taxation If It It doesn't prevent extravagance nce it provides revenue revenue rev rev- for the treasury and In either case serves a good purpose TAX ON FINERY He would put a stamp tax on d diamonds dia- dia amonds amonds a- a monds pearls furs and d other articles of finery ornament or luxury He would also fix a special tax on gifts to check the immense amount of unnecessary unnecessary un un- necessary not to to say useless private ex expenditures in this country which are open and notorious Such a course against luxuries he said would set free an immense amount of ot labor tonnage coal and other material for useful war purposes Nothing is m more re vital than that these powers over useless expenditures should be controlled by the government to aid In meeting sore financial needs To this end the people of Europe Europ are practicing all aU kinds of self denial BUSINESS AS USUAL Hull HuU contended that the slogan Business as usual is chiefly responsible responsible sible for increasing the interest rates on th the Liberty l loan an bonds po pointing out that everything must be adapted to towar towar towar war needs I The result Is said Hull HuU that our OUI nonessential Industries Insist on expanding expanding expanding ex ex- ex- ex far beyond the normal volume of ot capital and business people of wealth persist in all aU forms of useless and extravagant expenditures building buildIng building build build- ing proceeds above the normal capacity despite the fact that much of it could be postponed until after the war war war-In In short there is a general scattering of ofa ofa ofa a large portion of credit materials materials materials mate mate- rials and labor and when war bonds are o offered there is a scarcity of cap cap- ital