Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-08-25
An Income-Tax.

what do we understand bya" graduated
income tax" as demanded in the Ocala
platform and the Virginia Alliance plat
form and. in q word. in all tho platforms
which the Alliances and their allies Of vari-
Gus names have constructed during tho
twelve months last past? How "eradu-
atedf" l. the gradingor graduating to be
so done as 20 make the income-tax proper
tionate 10 the income. or il 1t to be so
done rs to make the tax grow faster than
the income? We take IL that the latter Is
what is meant by our Alliance friends
when they demand graduated in
oome-tax" They would have an in
come Of $4,000 year taxed not
merely twice az much as an in
como Of $1,000 year. but say four times
as much. They would grade or graduate
the tar so as to allow every man to have O
living salary or living wages or necessary
income from investments which should
not be taxed NJ oil. They would not re-
quire the man who ms an income Of only
$4,000 year TO pay tax on the $4,000 OF
il which he expends in the maintenance Of
his family. but only upon what he saves OF
it, They would have such man pay q
tax upon only say $1,000. whilst the man
whose income is $4,000 year they would
tax upon $1,000 q year. This would DO
graduating tho income-tax according to
the ability Of the receivers Of the income
20 pay the tax. and not upon the amount
Of money that passed through their hands.
We may naturally expect that as New
York and Boston and the other rich cities
would have to pay nearly oil of an income
tax which should be made TO fall only
upon incomes exceeding say $1,000 year,
the papers Of those cities might regard
such tax az unjust. The New York Tn
6une for example talks as follows:
"superfuous wealth rather than universal nc
oessities must be taxed. remarks the World in a
labored defence Of the OHIO demand for return
20 the most unpopular OF war taxes. Is not an
income q universal necessty?"
The Tribune. il is plain. is opposed to the
income tax. II assumes that an income is
fair income whatever proportion of it a
man may have to pay out for the support
of his family. Logically the mechanic
who necessarily spends every dollar that
he makes in feeding his wife and children
would, the Tribune being law-maker, have
TO payran incomeItaS on the bread and
meat his little ones consumed, whilst the
man of large income would never feel that
sort Of tax at ALL his outlay for provisions
for his family being but small proportion
Of his expenditures. The World isees the
weak place in the Tribunes paragraph and
strikes at it-as follows
IAN income above $4,000 or $40 000 such as
Il II proposed 10 tax, IL not universal necessi-
~. The tax might be unpopular with those
whom IL would reach, bat II could not DO so In
The true sense, ilasmuch as not one In five hum
drcd ~ the taxpayers would DO subject 10 II.
Guarantee tho average wage-worker, who IL
now taxed indirectly upon his food, fuel, cloth
ing. and shelter, an income OF 100000, and no
will pay tax upon II without much grum-
bling"
IL will be seen that the World says lit is
proposed to tax" only such incomes as ex-
coed FIVE or ten thousand dollars a year.
That paper would have to pay an immense
tax upon its immense income, butt would
seem from the above that it is ready to
sacrifice its interests 70 its principles.
As we have repeatedly explained. an in
come-tax would be perhaps the fairest and
most righteous tax that could be levied if
only it could be made to fall upon all the
men who ought to pay it, and fall upon
them to the full extent TO which it ought
TO reach. But there's the rub" Dshon-
est wealthy men are AS difficult 10 reach
as dishonest rogues and burglars, and may
for years refuse to pay an income-tax
without being caught in the dishonest and
Unlawful tricks to which they could re-
sort in order TO cyade its payment. Per-
haps the plausible man who never objects
TO paving an income-tax, but always re-
turns less than half his income is the most
difficult character for the tax-collector to
reach. We do not give this or any other
as sn all-sufficient reason tor opposing an
income-tax. but il may be mentioned as a
fact that q graduated income-tax would
have tendency TO make the unscrupu-
lous taxpayer more rascally than ever in
returning his income. The temptation to
make false returns hc could hardly over
come.