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To our extreme regret, we learned from Delegate E. C. Compton in”Richmond last Wednesday, that he is in favor of the Almond 3^ sales tax. We were relieved to find that Delegate French ^Slaughter Jr., had not yet decided but evi-. dently leaned toward the opposition.
Every'reason we have heard advanced so far for passing the' 37 sales tax can be completely, rebuffed. * The chief excuse used by Mr. Cptnptdn is that we are out of literary loan money and need $20,000,000 to loan to the localities for school construction. Greene County, we understand, must wait upon more literary loan funds. How can any one justify thSl as a reason for a*37 sales tax (when s there is a .surplus of $25,000,000 in the treasury, and addi' tional $30,000,000 in retirement funds available to ihe literary loan, and at least $10,000,000 iraR. F. & P. railroad stock owned by the Statfe of Virginia. This makes $65 ,000,.000 immediately available for a $20,000,000 requirement.
Mr. Compton, following our esteemed Governor’s lead, also pointed out how badjiy our highways cry for additional funds. Thy highway department paid $50,000 to a New . Jersey consulting firm last year for its advicfe to run the interstate highway on the northern route and promptly decided in favor of the southern^ route past Almond’s adopted home town, Roanoke. If this is the wav the highway department spends money, the less they have to waste the better. ■
Typical of the absurd arguments in favor of the sales t«V was that proposed by the master magician himself. Saw “-Mr. Almond, too few are paying the State’s bills; we must broaden the tax base by extracting 37 from everybody’s spending money.,This is indeed a source of joy.we pay more tax in order to make others pay a little tax.
The white-haired chamelon scraped the nadir, though, when he resorted to the most absurd reason ever advanced for passing a tax bill. He told the General Assembly we ’ should build up a bigger surplus while times were good. Who ever heard of politicians not spending every cent of tax money available?
No we look upon the 37 sales tax as just another tax. It Avon’t cut other taxes a bit. 'No new tax ever does. What
w-Hi do is decrease the spending money of every one in the Old Dominion by 37, regardless of what they make. And it will strengthen and enlarge the central government in Richmond? We note with suspicion the firm resolve of Mr. AJmond that the State of Virginia not bin^ itself to return any set portion of the tax to local governments.
B.C.B.Jr.
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