The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-12-20

source prior thereto. 49,,
1t is certain that immense fraud shave been
psrpstfAasA, for such have. ibeen discovered
and prosecuted to judgment or to compromise;
but the increasing experience and vigilance
Of our, officers and the Appointment of 9th
ers for special duty at distilleries, will prevent
large loss to the Government The Revenue
Commission will, hope, mggess additional
checks to be authorized by further leeislation
bat 50 long as ayarice and falsity are a part
of humanity, revenue laws, however, thoreugA-
ly administered, viii be sometimes evaded.
The number Of Illicit distributions detected
in the United Kingdom in 1884 as 2, 757,
and in 1865 3,457 /; showing that. With all the
thoroughness conseaueut upon careful legisla
tion. lohg experience, and more compact
population than ours, it WAS quite impossible
TO prevent occasional and, undoubtedly, some
times enormous frauds. 1t must BE the aim
and the effort Of all persons connected with
our revenue laws to insist everywhere and
always upon the rights of the Government,
and, in 90 doing, the protection of taxpayers
who faithfully discharge their duties
COST or COLLECTING THE REVENUE.
The cost Of collecting the public revenue il
naturally matter Of no little solicitude to
the Secretary of the Treasury, as it is one of
vast Importance to the country. $50
A people heavily subjected to taxation viii
carefully scrutinine the expenditures Of the
Government. especially so Ear n they relate
TO the collection ofthe revenue they are taxed
to produce.
1t may not be unsatisfactory to submit, in
this connection. a tabular statement of the
costs, from time to time, of collecting the
revenue Of Great Britain and Ireland. taken
largely from the work of j. X. McCuloch,
ESQ.,, upon .'Taxaiion aud Funding"
The per centage cost of collecting inland
revenue, after deduction of drawbacks, in the
following years, was Ton the El00l:
ls4o-'H.... IS Sc Id 2sl,l72
ls5o-'5l......... ~ upon...... s2,ols.32
ls6o-'6i..-..... Is u upon. 32,olo. l33
The percentage cost of collecting customs,
according to the same authority, before de-
duction Of drawbacks, &C., in the following
years, was
1s4o-4 ........ IS IS SID upon. f2e. .311 SIS
1850 81. .... IS NJ upon 72.el97s4
lS6O-'6l ......... Q 3 upon.....1 25.27s $50
The actual annual costs TO our bwn Gov
ernment for the collection ofits chstoms for
several years cannCt be determined with accu-
racy, because the expenses ofrevenue cutters.
performing the duties of vessels oftwar, have
been paid from the appropriations for Gus
toms. as have other charges comm ected with
commercial intercourse and abandoned prop.
erty in insurrectionary districts. They will.
however, il is believed not fall short of three
. and one -hab per eentnm OF the teeeipis-a
percentage not above the averaga for many
years past in this country. and as lit will be
observed, much below the costs in the United
Kingdom for either Of the years above given
Z have caused the cost of assessing aud col
iecsing the internal revenue of the |6scal year
1865 TO be carefully ascertained, ineluding the
salaries and authorized expense bf revenue
agents, special agents and inspectors of eve.
nue., the contingent expenses of tins office.
including its pay roll and the costs ofreyenue
stamps but exclusive of It's printing al the
Office ofthe public printer, not yet nkcertaned.
and find that the percentage, after deduciing
drawback and sums refunded as crroneouly
collected, will not exceed two and seventy
FIVE one hundredths.
This ratio OF costs TO collections cannot be
relied upon for the current year, as the per
centagc will be greater in the spar }ely settled
distress Of the South. II will mott however.
Ibeleve. exceed three and one. half f3N per
centum Of the receipts of the whole country.
ESTIMATE or RECEIPTS FoR cURRExk YEAR AS
BEARING rrox THE PROBABLE lxousy OF
REvExyr roR rHf crkREsr rfcAL YEAR,
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