The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-11-16
Taxation at Home and Abroad.

turing the campaign now HappnJ -" 81
riously ended, much has been said oy tnose
dissatisfied with the Government, about the
excessive burden of taxation, and they have
not besitated to institute comparisons between
| this couutrp and those of Europe, invidious to
our own. and intended to beget in the minds
( of the ignorant an impression that no people
on earth are so borne down by taxation as
ours. In this way the most sordid and igno-
Bile impulses of human nature have been APP
pealed to, and patriotism has been weighed
against motives that would dishonor Turk
or Hottentot. Now that the peopls are
prepared to look calmly, it may not be out of
place or sill-timed to refer to a few facts
which cannot fail to satisfy candid people that,
with all our confessed burdens-imposed by
this war forced upon us by wicked men-we
are still favored people, with pecuniary bur-
dens lighter even in the midst of cruel civil
war than most nations of the old world are
obliged to bear up under in times Of peace.
A writer, every way competent to the task,
has instituted comparison between the taxa
ton of this and European countries, and the
results of his labor are of exceeding inter-
est to loyal men. Look to Austria, for in
stance. There-we now copy from the New
York Post-the stamp duty on agreements
Of stock companies where labor and capital
are united, would be on a capital of 100000,
1925; in the United States it would be
five cents per sheet Of the articles of agree
ment. If the capital were one million, the
stamp in Austria would cost &c, $3.50; here, on
" five cents per sheet. Appeals from low
er to higher court cost there from So so to
IS dollars, here but fifty cents. Bills of sale
for goods over 81 in value pay there duty OF
five sixteenths of one per cent. on the val
ne; here but one five cent stamp. Bills of
sale for personal property pay there FIVE
eighths of one per cent; here five cent
stamp. Bonds for payment of money to Or
der cost three and one-eighth, and II to bear
er six and a quarter times as much as here.
Mortgage bonds pay more than twelve and
half times the duty levied in the United
States. Coupons, also require to be stamp
! ed, which is not the case with us. An inland
bill Of exchange pays duty here, if fo- $4,000,
$i dollars; in Austria 1888 1.3. The renew
al of a promissory note with us S., in Austria
$31 rs for the same value. Powers of attorney
are taxed in Austria at rate which in many
cases would make them liable to more than
three times the duty levied here on mort
cages. ,---.-------
The Austrian land tax amounts to sirteen
per cent. of the nett products of all land
In the empire In addition to this, a consarnp-
ton tax is levied--on cattle over one year old,
for instance, 50 "a per head, and city tax ad-
ditional. of 81 cents per head on such cattle (;
all other produce" is taxed in proportion.
There is next "house tax" of 81 1-9 per
cent. on the annual rental, after deducting If
teen per cent. from the rental for repairs
then there is stamp duty of lve-sixteenths Of
one per cent. on leases; and an income tax,
paid by the landlord upon his receipts Of rent.
Manufacturers pay license of from $21 to
$751; 80, for which here ten dollars are paid
wholesale dealers pay $50 here, and from
$157 so to $751; so there; retailers $40 here
and from $52 so to 1926 there; intelligence
offices $40 here, and from $26 rs to 1852 so
there. 3
1 Salt is monopoly of the government In
Austria. Its sold by the government to the
people at profit of over five hundred and
lightweight per cent. Tobacco is also q
monopoly of the government, and it is sold to
the people ats profit of from one hundred and
twenty to three hundred per cent.
Thus it appears that the Austrians. met on
every hand by high taxaes and monopolies
bear far heavier burden than we, and that
in time of peace, and with a country no,
nearly as rich in resources as ours. There
remains to be added in Austria a awar tax :
when the country is at war. But let us com
pare our taxes with those paid by John Bull
Austria, however, is u despotism. We will
therefore turn to the freest government in Eu.
rope, that of Great Britain. The British,
/ stamp duty on leases amounts to ten per cent
on the rental; ours is forty times less. A
young lawyer pays in England during his stu.
dent years, and with four years. practice
$7S5, SO; with us for the same period, $50 rs.
The indentures of an apprentice pay five cents
per sheet stamp duty here; in England from
"a Sc to 1921 Is. Probate of wills costs in
England for property under So, 800, s 70 "a;
with us 81 rs. To secure patent in England
for fourteen years costs 1851 here patent
for seventeen years costs $50. The tax on
male servants under eighteen is 81 "a, over
eighteen IS 10; on dogs of all kinds, 50 90
neither are taxed here. The license tax on
whiskey with US is 81 so per gallon, in Eng
land, 81 4S per gallon on beer with us, 81 90
per barrel; in England, 81 Al per barrel
Here the general government levies no "di-
rect tax" on real estate; in England all real es-
tate Of whatever description, pays heavy d.
rect tax. The English people pay tax upon
tea of two hundred per cent upon its
prime cost in China; and upon tobacco of sew
en- hundred per cent. upon its prime cost.
The Inland revenue yields in England three
and-six tenths times as much as ours; this is
a fair measure of the relative burden of taxa
ton upon the two nations. il = IS
In France everybody is taxed, and heavily
atthat A thrifty mechanic pays $l4 10 per
annum, cook, $40 CO.; small retail
shop keeper or street vender, so so; stevedores
and others in like occupations, 81 81; shoe
blacks, and others in the humblest occupations
pay SS 90 T8GC6tl t'I0ib9d we'll
The total receipts for licenses amount, in
France to over fifteen and half millions, in
the United States to a little over nine millions.
There lisa door and a window tax in France.
which yields nearly nine million dollars; the
direct tax on real estate yields there over
hfty-six millions; house and poll tax over
fourteen millions. The tax on fermented, dis
titled and malt liquors yields in France $780,
494 600, with us only So, 395, 1858; the tax on
tobacco yields in France $43, 7se, 400, with us
s4,l20O37. aIao
These instances show that heavy as our
taxes are, they are light as yet compared with
those borne by the different nations of Eu-