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WHO PA YS YOUR 'RAXES?

Saloon-keeper : “ I believe the tax on real estate alone to be the right tax.”

The Doctor: “Then you will vote for it?”

“Most certainly not. Don’t you give me credit for any sense? Can’tyou see that tax theory would knock the spots off from saloon keeping?We don’t mind encouraging the prohibitionists a little. It will be a longtime before they can pass their laws, and they can be easily violated orevaded; but your land taxation plan goes right to the root of the saloonbusiness and will kill it.”

By this time I was getting considerably interested, and asked for anexplanation.

“ Now, look here, doctor, you know just as well as I do why I mustoppose it. Can’t you see that this tax on land alone means that there willbe no taxes of any kind—government license, town license, special tax,revenue tax—levied on our business?”

“Certainly you will be relieved of all taxation,” I replied.

“ Relieved ! Yes, relieved of over half our profits, you mean.”

Rising and going to the sideboard, he poured out a glass of liquor, and,returning, held it up to the light.

“Look here,” said he, “that whisky retails for ten cents. Take offall the taxes, and I would have to retail it for five, and make just half asmuch per glass as I do now. Now, the majority of men drink all theywould if whisky was cheaper, and therefore I wouldn’t sell much if anymore than I do now. Your single tax would cut down the saloon-keeper’sprofits at least one-half. That is why he will be against you. You destroythe monopoly.

“ If there were no license fees to be paid, anybody who had a bottle andtwo glasses could start a saloon. To-day, however, a man has to pay acertain amount down for a license ; he has got to get a number of citizensto indorse his application for a license. He has to invest so much moneyin whisky, and, as I showed you a few moments ago, so much more intaxes A poor man can’t go into the saloon business now. Did you evernotice how we really prevent competition in our business? No matter howmany saloons there are, the price is always kept up. By the way, your taxscheme would do away with treating to a great extent, and it is on treatingthat the saloon thrives. How could it do that? In this way : Treating isa matter of ostentation, of pride. A man treats to show that he is able tospend money and prove himself to be sociable. Take all taxes off fromwhisky, wine, and beer, and they would be so cheap a man would beashamed to treat. No one would ask another in to take a three-cent drink ;they would buy cigars, a lunch, or something of that sort.