Show Editorial A PRIMER ON TAXES By the Honorable Noah Mason lason Former Congressman from Illinois Uncle Sam does not have a dime of his own No not even evena a red cent It is all our money yours and mine We Ve just let Uncle Sam spend it for us We Ve think he can do a better job of spending it for us than we the can do for ourselves Or do we think about it at all During 1959 Uncle Sam took billion out of our pockets and spent it for us the next year he took billion and the next year he took billion billion billion bil bil- bil- bil lion a total of 2233 billion in three years taken away from us by force We Ve could have bought a lot lotof lotof lotof of things for our families with that 2233 billion could we not If we yelled economy loud enough perhaps Uncle Sam would let us keep part of these billions of dollars to spend for our own family needs And it would accomplish more if we voted for economy instead of yelling for economy There are some 60 million individuals individuals individuals in in- in- in who file Federal income in income income in- in come tax returns More than 70 per cent of them have annual incomes of less than yet they pay a large share of our total Federal in in- in- in come tax load So in reality it is the so-called so little fellow that supports Uncle Sam in the style to which he has become accustomed What about corporations Do they not pay a big share of the tax load Of course they do They paid 21 billion into Uncle Sams Sam's treasury in 1961 But corporation taxes are part of the cost of of doing business and are largely reflected in the cost of production Therefore corporation taxes become hidden taxes a part of the price charged for the goods produced So the more we soak the corporation corporation corporation cor cor- cor- cor for taxes the higher prices go and the more the little people the consumers of the nation nation nation na na- na- na tion have to pay for the goods they need and must have Indirectly therefore the little people pay through higher prices a large part of the tax load upon corporations The part of this whole tax headache that bothers me is the fact that no matter how they juggle the tax load around the little guy is going to have to carry most of the load If we took every dollar doUar away from every very taxpayer who gets more than a year leaving him without one red cent we would still have only half enough to operate our spendthrift gov gov- Most of the tax money is our money yours and mine and we weare weare weare are letting Uncle Sam spend it for us Do you not think that we as taxpayers have a squawk coming coming coming com com- ing Do you not think that the Federal Federal Federal Fed Fed- eral Government should be cut down to normal size that we should stop throwing our money down a There are demands for legislation legislation legislation legis legis- lation to socialize medicine to socialize housing to socialize agriculture agriculture agriculture ag ag- ag- ag and to socialize electric electric electric elec elec- power Experts who have examined these proposals as to their possible possible possible pos pos- sible cost if enacted into law say they would almost double the cost of the Federal Govern Govern- ment If we double the cost of gov gov- oJ 4 AjAj AAA we then take one-half one of the national income and the average worker will be required to work 6 months each year to pay for government Workers will then be unable to provide for their families and will have to look to the Government Government Government Govern Govern- ment for support and livelihood This happened in Germany In Italy and in Russia It is Ig now happening in England Are we to be the next country to become socialized through taxation We have had more than 30 years of deficit spending and more than 20 years of heavy current current current cur cur- rent taxation Our deficit spending spending spending spend spend- ing has resulted in extremely high prices When a nation keeps spending beyond its means it is bound to lose its liberty and be taxed into socialism just as an individual individual individual dual who spends beyond his means always ends up bankrupt and at the mercy of his credi credi- tors Our present fiscal policy is leading this Nation step by step national bankruptcy repudiation down the road to financial chaos and then dictatorship Is that where we want to go |