view raw text
, Lausche Hits Changes Made in Mutuel Tax Bill Ohio Governor Says Measure Is What Track Operators Want COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 5.— Gov. Prank J. Lausche said today the pari-mutuel tax bill before the Senate "is exactly what the race track operators wanted." The Governor in his statement released by his office a few hourse before the bill was scheduled for a vote in the state senate, struck at the changes made in the bill by the Senate Taxation Committee. The bill. Lausche said, "takes money from the general public and gives it partly to the race track operators." The Governor said that the changes made by the committee would mean that of every 00 wagered, the tracks would take 2.75. Under the present law the tracks receive 0 out of each 00 wagered. Lausche said that the track operators "have been in the possession of a privilege in subsidy from the people of Ohio, which now will be expanded instead of contracted." "If this bill becomes law," Lausche said, "the operators and lobbyists have the right to rejoice while the public should weep at what happened." The bill to increase the state tax on pari-mutuel betting passed the Hous° several weeks ago but has been chanf n the Senate Taxation Committee, h. cd by Sen. Donald H.Rolf R.-Cincinnati. Lausche struck at the changes increasing the amount of money the tracks could keep from the total wagered. The house taxation committee first set the percentage at 13 per cent. This was reduced to 12 per cent on the floor of the house after Lausche criticized the 13 per cent takeout. The senate committee increased the tracks percentage from 12 to 12.75 per cent. The senate committee also changed the graduated tax scale. The present law is a 1 to 3 per cent graduated tax. The house set the tax at 3 to 7 per cent, with the top percentage to apply to all over 00,000 I wagered daily. The senate committee changed its scale, cutting the top tax to 6 per cent. Lausche said the result would be "privileges of the track operators are enlarged and the cost to the public is increased."
