Charles Momsen wrote:
The poor are overtaxed. Look at the taxes on gasoline, liquor, cigarettes,
ammunition, food, even ice cream - children's ice cream Mandrake and one can
plainly see the poor are bearing an unjust burden.

A two pack a day smoker works 3 hours at minimum wage just to pay for
cigarettes and the privilege of earning minimum wage. Figure 2 gallons of
gas a day for his old car, a pint of Wild Turkey for his problems and there
is nothing left over. What's the poor guy to do? Go out and steal so his
poor family can eat?

If sales taxes and sin taxes were eliminated the poor would be better off
and crime would be reduced. The jails would be less crowded and Inspector
Javert could attend to more important business.


Here in Massachusetts we had a referendum on eliminating the State
Income Tax. The proponents argued at great length about how the state
legislature would be forced to eliminate waste if half the revenue was
gone. What they never mentioned is that out income tax is a flat rate -
a burden carried equally be rich and poor with very few exceptions. The
other primary sources of revenue, sales and property taxes,
disproportionately affect the poor. Eliminating income tax would mean
that the rich would get a free ride, while the poor and middle class
carried the entire load of financing the Commonwealth.

Fortunately, the voters saw through the sham and voted it down, 3 to 1.