view raw text
I J 1 1 1 . : : PROTESTS TAX UPON PATRONS Twenty Cent Levy Against Free Admissions to Hawthorne -Ask for State Ruling. The Chicago Business Mens Racing Association, through its attorney, Albert Sabath, has protested to the Department of Agriculture at Springfield against the placing of the twenty cents tax upon its racing patrons for complimentary badges and has asked the Department of Agriculture to get from the attorney general a construction of the associations obligations in the matter. When the new law appointing a commission was passed, it was understood it would not function until November 1, and the present Hawthorne license, for which 5,000 has been paid into the Department of Agriculture in advance, was issued by that department : of the state government. The Department of Agriculture has also named the supervisor for Hawthorne, as provided under the old law. The association claims that it is functioning under the direction of the Department of Agriculture and under the provisions of the old law. It will be recalled that former Attorney General Carlstrom, in a written opinion, decided that the service charge on complimentary tickets collected by race tracks was not an admission fee and no tax was paid to the state on these admissions. As Washington Park and Lincoln Fields were exempt from the tax and as no collection was made at Arlington Park until the meeting was half through, the association feels that the tax should not be placed upon its patrons at Hawthorne. The new law provides that all license fees and taxes in respect to racing shall be paid directly to the racing commission. As there is no such body functioning, the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association feels that it cannot pay a tax to a non-existing body, and as its license has been paid to the Department of Agriculture and the supervision of the racing is under an appointee from that body, it should be entitled to all of the benefits of the old statue.
