Delaware State journal and statesman., 1865-12-19
From Harper's Weekly.
OUR TAXES

wv ~ thN 9hihS INAAOA NlS ASNSApto hOhA
duties at the port of New York alone were
$5e, e,291, 900, which implies an aggregate re-
ceipt for the whole country for the five
months of s7s,0OO,O 900 in gold, equal to say
! S112, 100000 in currency Thus in five
months tho Government drew from the peo-
| Pile, in the shape of direct and indirect taxes,
sum not less than $s63,O0O,OOO. Were
these five months fair average for the year,
the annual income OF Government would
foot up not less than $500, 1000, 900. AS, how
ever, the income tax is paid in the fall, and
as the importations this fall were unusually
heavy, it may be proper to make some de-
duction from this estimate, and to set down
the annual income of Government from tax
es of all kinds at something like s455, OOO,-
000-say $15 per head of the total popua-
tion. In many localities as much more is
| paid for city, county, and State taxes
That taxation to this extent is oppressive
is obvious It is heavier than is borne by
any other people in the world. That it has
been borne patiently is wonderful, and proves
the law-abiding character of the people of
the United States. But it does not follow
that it will be SO always. During the year
1865 peoples minds have been so full of the
all-engrossing topic of the restoration of
peace that no leisure has been afforded for
the consideration of fiscal matters. Pros
perity, real or fictitious, has been so general
| that burdens which in ordinary times would
have been intolorablo have been endured
without murmur. This will not last The
war and peace excitement is passing away.
The existing prosperity and the present high
wages of labor are dependent on the large
volume of paper-money aAoat, when that
comes to be reduced labor will fall, and we
shall again taste "hard times. When that
happensthe taxes will become the paramount
topic, and it must be expected that they will
encounter sharp criticism.
Senator John Sherman, of Ohio, one of
the rising men of the day among the civil
| ians, has already announced his intention to
move in Congress for reduction of the
taxes. The commission of three appointed
\ at the last session to review the Revenue
Law, and present amendments, will also lay
a report before Congress within the month
in what sense is as yet unknown. 1t may
! be presumed that they, too, will recommend
the readjustment of the system with view
/ to relieve industry from the burdens which
now press upon it.
1t will probably be found, on inquiry that
our system fails in two essential particulars:
first, that its operation is too costly; and,
| secondly, that it opens the door to too many
/ frauds. Both of these defects arise from the
unwise attempt of Congress to tax every
article that is eaten, or drunk, or worn, or
used for necessity or pleasure, or manufac-
tured, or consumed, or enjoyed Under the
present law almost every object that can be
named pays not only one but many taxes
Take book, for instance. The author pays
tax on the product of his copyright; the
publisher pays for license, pays tax on
| his sales, and again an income tax on the
profit on those sales; the paper used has paid
manufacturers tax, and a tax on its sale;
| the ink pays the same; the leather used in the
binding has also paid two taxes, the binder
pays his income tax, and so also the printer;
| the retailer who sells tho book pays for his
1 license, tax on his sales, and an income
tax; SO that by the time the book reaches
| the reader it has actually paid fifteen separ-
ate taxes to the Government. Other articles
"A coat, pair of boots, carriage, dwell
ling -house-pay in about the same proper
l tion. The worst of all this multiplied and
variegated taxation is that the Government
does not get any thing like the amount which
1 the public pays, and that while honest men
pay their taxes, it is impossible to prevent
rogues evading theirs. To collect so infinite
a number of small taxes requires an army of
paid officials. To collect them SO thorough
ly as to prevent fraud would require every
second man to be a detective. OF the extent
to which the revenue is defrauded an idea
may be formed from the fact that for many
months whisky has been selling for less than
the tax alone. Of the cost of collecting the
revenue no accurate estimate can yet be
formed; we must wait for the returns from
the Bureau OF Internal Revenue. But with
the present system it must be very much
greater than the cost OF collecting the rev.
enue of other leading nations
1t has been found in Great Britain, which
has had half century's experience of heavy
1 IL
articles, and to concentrate the watchfulness
of the excisemen on them. Great Britain
now derives as large revenue from seven
articles as she used to draw from two hum
dred. Frauds are Of rarer occurrence than
they used to be, and the cost of collecting
the revenue is much reduced. Applying the
same system to this country, if we taxed
nothing but cotton, tobacco, whisky, beer,
land, incomes, and legacies, it is likely that
in an average of years the income from this
tax, be as large as it would be from the
present diversified system, while it is cleal
that frauds would be less frequent and the
cost of collection much reduced. 1t would
be quite possible to collect $3.50, 900, 900 a
year from cotton, whisky, beer, tobacco, in
. comes, and stamps; land tax and custom:
duties might pay $3.50, 100000 more without
t difficulty, With proper machinery sucl
f taxes might be collected for One-half the
, present cost of collecting the revenue, ant
, frauds might be rendered almost impossible
, Politicians can not too soon realize tha
! this matter Of taxation is to be the topic oil
! which parties will divide and elections turn
f 1t will not take very long to determine tht
; method in which the funeral of Slavery is t.
be conducted, and the ex-rebels permitted tC
} renew their relations with the nation whicl
! they vainly tried to destroy. In very
Z short while these questions will become mere
,,ottare of faalino touching which tbo moo