| Show NOT MUCH OF A REFORM WE have been requested by the new york tax reform association to publish their platform which is as annexed L the most direct taxation is the best beat bemuse because it gives to the real payers or taxes a conscious and direct pecuniary interest in honest and economical government ern ment 2 Vort mortgages gages and capital engaged jn in production or trade should be exempt from from taxation because taxes on such capital tend to d drive ive it away to put a premium r elium on dishonesty and to discourage F industry 3 real estate should bear the main burden of taxation because such taxes can be most easily cheaply and certainly collected and bemuse because they bear least heavily on the farmer and the worker 4 our present system of levying and collecting state and municipal mun cipal taxes ito is extremely bad and spasmodic and un reflecting tinkering with it is in unlikely to estile in substantial improvement 5 no legislature will venture to enact K tood good system of local taxation until the ople especially the farmers perceive pl iK C ti lie correct principles of taxation and seu see i he h folly of 01 taxing S personal pro pert we desire to unite our efforts in such ways ya as may seem advis vib sato ablerto keep up discussion and of taxation with agison abject agitation of thema in the system a view to impre to the th correct principles and enlightenment as a caples pa there are no doubt emajo arguments agu ment that may be urged to in toor ar of this platform which to is in principle somewhat similar to the henry george theory though not so radical and revo lutlo lutio nary but we do not think the owners of landin landan land in the united states will consent to I 1 it adoption ills it Is evidently prepared in the interest of the bond goldere stock owners and capital jots isto why men who have accumulated or inherited fortunes not invested in 1 real estate should escape taxation we fall fail to understand they should contribute their quota to the expenses of government it see mato us just the same as the land owne that the capita capi talat Pst should be exempt and the farmer and be mu mulched mulcted ted auf juf justice itice does not approve there are no doubt many reforms needed in the general methods of taxation but we do not believe they would be greatly improved by the plan proposed let capital do its part bart in the payment of public expenses |
