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Show Gas Tax and Others During 1931, according to the American Petroleum Institute, efforts ef-forts will be made to Increase the gasolnie tax In at least sixteen slates. In 1930 the public paid $S25-000,000 $S25-000,000 lu gas taxes, establishing a new high record $73,000,000 above the 102) total. Even in depression years the tax collector prosers. At present, in a typical state, about 20 per cent of the retail price of gasoline goes to the government The public is willing to pay a reasonable gas tax but there is eon- stunt pressure to increase Mils tax just as there Is constant pressure to Increase evry other tax. At the lfith annual convention of the Natoinal association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, Treas-urers, held in New York recently. W. S. Johnson, State Treasurer of West Virginia, said states must to live within their income the name as the frugal housewife does in the home. "I am convinced," he continued, contin-ued, "that at least forty cents of very tax dollar in the United States is wasted." The average wage earner, he declared, de-clared, eontrbiutes one day's work each week -for taxes. Individual and tiusinoss institutlone lust year hail a total Income of over $87,000,000-000, $87,000,000-000, of which $13,000,000,000 wns taken for taxes, aecordulg to Mr. Johnson. Governments are overmanned over-manned by C5 per cent, h said, and one person out of every ten works for the government, national, state or local, The. people wll never get tax relief re-lief so long as they acquiesce quietly quiet-ly to tax Increases, or accept new methods of taxation which, lu reality, real-ity, are a sort of legislative buck passing. Talkng a tax dolllar off one knid of property and putting it on another benefits no one In the long run. |