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Editorial
November 21, 1939
Imperial Valley Press
El Centro, Imperial County, California
What is this article about?
Editorial criticizes Governor Olson's plan to impose new taxes in California for rising relief costs and higher old age pensions, arguing governments should cut inefficiencies instead of burdening taxpayers further.
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ADDITIONAL TAXES
FOR
CALIFORNIANS
POLITICS AND RELIEF
IN CALIFORNIA
Governor Culbert L. Olson will ask the forthcoming special session of the state legislature to impose new taxes on Californians in order to meet increasing relief costs and the cost of a proposed boost in the maximum old age pension payments by the state.
For years now, taxes have been going up. They are still going up. At this rate, the time is rapidly approaching when everyone who labors for hire will have to turn his entire paycheck over to the state, the city, the county and the federal government.
Politicians have plenty of reasons why the taxes are forever getting bigger. None of them can quite convince the skeptical non-politician that an efficiently operated government cannot get along without forever boosting its costs.
If a private business meets an unexpected expense, it must provide for it by lopping off expenses in some other direction - or by increasing its service and thereby increasing its revenue. It does not have access to any such seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of cash as that provided the various forms of government.
The state does have additional expenses because of relief, and probably will have new ones because of increased pensions. The state will need money to take care of these things. But what of the running expenses and the thousand and one other expenses of the state? Surely, somewhere down the line, savings could be made that would total thousands of dollars.
The trouble is that it is so much easier for government officials, when faced with the necessity for new expenses, to turn to additional taxes as a means of meeting them than it is to make the exhaustive study necessary to put through economies in other departments. Too, the politicians would rather add a few cents onto the tax bill of someone they do not know than cut a few cents off the salaries of friends they have appointed to office.
Nobody objects to paying taxes to meet necessary expenses, but one of these days the politicians are going to find that a lot of people object to paying taxes to keep in operation departments, bureaus and agencies which should have been scrapped or consolidated years ago. And when that happens, the politicians will at last be forced to expend just as much effort in finding places for economy as they now expend in finding new things to tax.
FOR
CALIFORNIANS
POLITICS AND RELIEF
IN CALIFORNIA
Governor Culbert L. Olson will ask the forthcoming special session of the state legislature to impose new taxes on Californians in order to meet increasing relief costs and the cost of a proposed boost in the maximum old age pension payments by the state.
For years now, taxes have been going up. They are still going up. At this rate, the time is rapidly approaching when everyone who labors for hire will have to turn his entire paycheck over to the state, the city, the county and the federal government.
Politicians have plenty of reasons why the taxes are forever getting bigger. None of them can quite convince the skeptical non-politician that an efficiently operated government cannot get along without forever boosting its costs.
If a private business meets an unexpected expense, it must provide for it by lopping off expenses in some other direction - or by increasing its service and thereby increasing its revenue. It does not have access to any such seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of cash as that provided the various forms of government.
The state does have additional expenses because of relief, and probably will have new ones because of increased pensions. The state will need money to take care of these things. But what of the running expenses and the thousand and one other expenses of the state? Surely, somewhere down the line, savings could be made that would total thousands of dollars.
The trouble is that it is so much easier for government officials, when faced with the necessity for new expenses, to turn to additional taxes as a means of meeting them than it is to make the exhaustive study necessary to put through economies in other departments. Too, the politicians would rather add a few cents onto the tax bill of someone they do not know than cut a few cents off the salaries of friends they have appointed to office.
Nobody objects to paying taxes to meet necessary expenses, but one of these days the politicians are going to find that a lot of people object to paying taxes to keep in operation departments, bureaus and agencies which should have been scrapped or consolidated years ago. And when that happens, the politicians will at last be forced to expend just as much effort in finding places for economy as they now expend in finding new things to tax.
What sub-type of article is it?
Taxation
Economic Policy
Partisan Politics
What keywords are associated?
California Taxes
Relief Costs
Old Age Pensions
Government Spending
Tax Increases
What entities or persons were involved?
Governor Culbert L. Olson
State Legislature
Politicians
Editorial Details
Primary Topic
Opposition To New Taxes For Relief And Increased Pensions In California
Stance / Tone
Critical Of Increasing Taxes And Government Inefficiency
Key Figures
Governor Culbert L. Olson
State Legislature
Politicians
Key Arguments
Governor Olson Will Request New Taxes To Cover Rising Relief Costs And Boosted Old Age Pensions
Taxes Have Been Rising For Years And Will Continue To Do So
Governments Should Cut Expenses Or Increase Services Rather Than Raise Taxes
Easier For Officials To Impose New Taxes Than To Find Economies
People Will Object To Taxes Funding Obsolete Departments