Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-12-15
Internal Revenue Report.

u Ahtcruai revenue, begins with the topic or
REDUCING taxation, as follows:
Receipts OF internal-revenue taxation have
increased from $ll3, 100000 in the fiscal year
1917. to $lsSO O0000 in 1880 $l3S 10000 in 1881,
ana 10 Sl46, $4,000 On round fgures) In the
nscal year last ended. There will probably be
some dimunitOn in the receipts of tho
present fiscal year as compared with last year,
put 1t is not likely collections of internal rev
fi4S.VVOuO0 should the taxes now imposed be
retained. Ii is an old and sound maxim that
no more revenue should be raised than is
necessary Tor the economicar administration
OF tne government and gradual reduction of
| tne puDlc debt, although taxation may be so
burden upon the people. when the amount
SCoLIected is beyond the &C ual needs of the
government sfe there is presented q con-
etant temptat on to extravagance in ap-
| preparations. Another cons alton attend
ing an overlooking condition of the Pub
your attention. If the present rate of paying
sne principal Of the public debt be continued.
s an bonds subject to call will be paid within
| De compelled. in order to dispose OF its surplus
revenue, to buy in the opeu market AZ per
cent ponds which fall due in 1871, or the per
] cent bonds which fall due in 1907 Should the
government thus become an active purchaser
OF tnese bonds before maturity, it seems clear
.nat Iney would advance in price to . or 30
per cent premium, to pay which would GER
talnly be regarded as waste OF the peoples
principal of the public debt shou d be extin-
guished, as originally contemplated only st a
rate necessary to meet the requirements Of
$55,0O0OOl per annum. Therefore it becomes
OBVIOUS that reduction of from $6O,0OO,OOO to
SlOUOOVO in the annual revenues of the coun-
Try could be safely entered upon, and, in nv
Judgment, such reduction is urgently called
The great bulk of internal-revenue taxation
Is derived from distilled spirits, malt liquors.
| tobacco and cigars. These are artis les OF lux
ury, taxes upon which are really paid by con-
strongly OF oplnion that, SO long as the prin-
clpie OF deriving part of the revenue of the
1oveTnme from internal t xation is re-
tained these articles and dealers therein are
proper subjects for taxation. There is no
demand on the part of consumers of these pro-
ducts for remission of taxes imposed upon
them; there is no public sentiment calling for
their repeal. Other objects Ofinternal-revenue
ts3atLon, with amounts realized therefrom
| $h2I2,21S; patent medicines, perfumery, etc.
sl,97S.395: bank checks, S2,sls,45 bank de-
Ssl'f BANK o aysnE as BAN DEPOSITS ss
capital $l4. 129: Add to thase items lxes col
lected by the Treasury of the United States
rived from these sources s of f" I If ito to
| SS,15O,OO0 reduction thus proposed Congress
should add reduction in the charges for
speclal taxes to dealers in articles taxed for
| internal revenues substantially as proposed
| In the bill n w pending before the Senate a
| 81 III further dim mutton Of taxation would be
attained, and supervision over dealers in tax
able articles, which exper ence has shown to
De necessary In order to fully and fairly col
lect the taxes from all alike would be pre-
served. Reducing all these speci taxes 40
per cent, remissions under this head would be
as follows: On the bass of last year collec-
| lions, s3OOI.SO). The act of March /, 1879 re-
duced the tax on tobacco from "a cents per
pound to IL cents per pound. but did not re-
uuce the tax on cigars and cigarets. A cor
spending reduction on cigars would be. to 81
per 600. This, think, should be done, and
would amount to reduction of taxes of $6,-
!4hU0O This would make total reduction of
jnternalrevenue taxes Including taxes on Ma
tional banks), of $500, l2S.
Iarln revision Is considered by the Com
| missioner. He says:
L venture to suggest whether il is not de-
sirable to consider the PRACTICAL lily Of taking
the DUTY on sugar About ZOO, 90, 900 pounds
OF sugar are annually con umed in the United
States, 10 per cent of VIII Oh is produced i'm this
country. Upon 1,sO0.OO0.O0O pounds imported
me government realizes revenue of $1,000,
zoo. should the duty be removed there would
be not only certain and large reduction of
revenue, but the benefits of that reduction
would Immediately inure to the people The
best refined sugar, VIII ch now sells ut ten cents
MP und retail cou d be sold at seven cents if
tior would amount to 90 cents per capita per
annum of the entire population of the country.
Ihe objection to this measure would be the
abolition OF protection now afforded the sugar
interests of Louisiana and other States. This
dlfh' ulty might he met by giving bounty. of
say, two and half cents per pound upon all
home produced suVar. The present law gives
the sugar pl lnters of this country dir city
S4,OO0,OOC or S5,Om0Oo pr annum. My PROPOSE
let the whole people have the benefit of the
reduction Of taxation of say $4,000, coo which
would IN TINS way De erected. The principle
and developm mt OF American industry was
adopted in the case of the fish ories as early as
1913 and continued for more than fifty years
Millions have been paid out dur ng this period
TO American fishermen for fish caught and ex-
ported, and we are still giving this industry
bonus, allowing them TO Wi hdraw salt free of
duty and requiring from them no tonnage
dues. These reductions, If made, would
amount to $73,5U2, l2S Receipts of internal
revenue taxation the last two fiscal years
%e ,! For 1881 81 5 ss sla for 1852 s1ie52
first four months of the present fiscal year.
compared with the corresponding months the
last fscal year, show an increase in the
crease in dist He'd sprts; an increase in
cigars, cheroots, cigarets, snuff of all descrip-
tons, and special tax of dealers in manufac-
received from all other taxes on tobacco and
tobacco trade; an increase in the amount re-
ceived from special taxes on brewer and deal
ers In beer; an increase on bank deposits and
bank rculat on; a decrease on taxes of every
other character on banks. r7r
The entire amount collected in the fiscal year
1852 was promptly covered into the Treasury
without loss. Dur ng the last six fiscal years
S74-,S3tO7l has been collected from internal
revenue taxation and p i'd into the Treasury
without any loss by defalcatiOn. The expense
OF Of col ection the la six years was about ST.
O>I.1OO. or about 3.s per cent. ON the amount
collected. This sum has been disbursed with
out loss to the Government
On the 3Oth OF June. 1882, spirits remaining
in warehouses reached the highest point
namely: Se,962,645 gallons. Sine that time
there has been a gradual DUCT N in the
amount remaining in warehouses, and on the
LIST of November. 1882, the amount was 81 R2S. :
81 ga ms. This large stock mainly, consists
of fine grades of whisky. the tax upon which
will fall due from month to month. The last
withdrawal must be made the 9th of
December, 1876 If the future demand of
this class of goods is to be judged of by with
drawals of similar goods, tax paid, during the
past few years, tn stock now on hand is equal
TO six years consumption. To postpone ray
meut of the tax OIL this stock until its with
drawal is required by the demands of the
trade. movement has been set on foot r
its expectation and rempor alton and storage
In customs bonded warehouses; This is en-
rely practicable under existing laws and IL
becomes a question VIII nther 1t would not he
better to affOr1 BY leQisa' ion the relief sought
TO be ohtan6d by this indirect means IT.
The total amount of collections from tobac-
co for the fiscal year ended June 30 1892
was 81, 39l,9SS. This amoi'nt includes the col.
lecti0ns of internal revenue tayes Imposed
up n imported manufactured tnb tcco snuff
and cigars Gn addit on 10 customs dutiesl: tax.
Is imposed on domestic anufactured tobac-
co, snuff and cigars; special taxes paid by
manufacturers of tobacco. snuff and cigars.
special taxes Paid by dealers in leaf and deal
ers In manufactured tobacco; special taxes
paid by peddlers of manufactured tobacco:
al n raft fHxar