We have made long strides these past three years in bringing our Federal finances under control.  The deficit for fiscal year 1953 was almost 9-1/2 billion dollars.  Larger deficits seemed certain—­deficits which would have depreciated the value of the dollar and pushed the cost of living still higher.  But government waste and extravagance were searched out.  Nonessential activities were dropped.  Government expenses were carefully scrutinized.  Total spending was cut by 14 billion dollars below the amount planned by the previous Administration for the fiscal year 1954.

This made possible—­and it was appropriate in the existing circumstances of transition to a peacetime economy—­the largest tax cut in any year in our history.  Almost 7-1/2 billion dollars were released and every taxpayer in the country benefited.  Almost two-thirds of the savings went directly to individuals.  This tax cut also helped to build up the economy, to make jobs in industry and to increase the production .of the many things desired to improve the scale of living for the great majority of Americans.

The strong expansion of the economy, coupled with a constant care for efficiency in government operations and an alert guard against waste and duplication, has brought us to a prospective balance between income and expenditure.  This is being done while we continue to strengthen our military security.

I expect the budget to be in balance during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1956.

I shall propose a balanced budget for the next fiscal year ending June 30, 1957.

But the balance we are seeking cannot be accomplished without the continuing every-day effort of the Executive and Legislative Branches to keep expenditures under control.  It will also be necessary to continue all of the present excise taxes without any reduction and the corporation income taxes at their present rates for another year beyond next April 1st.

It is unquestionably true that our present tax level is very burdensome and, in the interest of long term and continuous economic growth, should be reduced when we prudently can.  It is essential, in the sound management of the Government’s finances, that we be mindful of our enormous national debt and of the obligation we have toward future Americans to reduce that debt whenever we can appropriately do so.  Under conditions of high peacetime prosperity, such as now exist, we can never justify going further into debt to give ourselves a tax cut at the expense of our children.  So, in the present state of our financial affairs, I earnestly believe that a tax cut can be deemed justifiable only when it will not unbalance the budget, a budget which makes provision for some reduction, even though modest, in our national debt.  In this way we can best maintain fiscal integrity.

A fourth aim of our program is: 

TO FOSTER A STRONG ECONOMY