The Bessemer indicator., 1894-03-03
QUEER KINDS OF TAXES.
REVENUES DERIVED FROM
ss MANY ODD iMPoSTs.
Even broad and Meat Have Boon Tased,
and Peter tho Great Ievisd . Tax on
Beards-EEgs Arc Taxed In kussia and
Advertssemonts In France. .str;-t'


' In times past it was doomed war.
rartable to tax salt, candies, leather,
brick, soap. starch, paper and in 1868
oven bread and meat Peter the
Great OF Russia. levied tax on
boards, with the laudable object OF
making his subjects wash their faces
ana shavo Brass tokens are still to
be bought in that country bearing
the words, Dorado pignaia tiagola. F"
which means. "the beard tax has
been paid. MI. +. G. G. Lundy In
Tho Fiscal Philatelist." gives par
ticu,srs of the British hat tax OF
1874. requiring hatters to take out
licea,es and imposing an nd valorem
stamp duty on every hat sold. In
those days revenue officials meeting
a man with an unlicensed hat used to
inquire, In tho words OF tho comic
song, .'Whoro did you got that hatP"
In Old times, too. tho Scotch sacra-
mental certificates used to bear six
penny stamp; TAX on religious al
manacs, glass, stone bottles and ad-
vortisements wore among the fiscal
duties OF the past.
In some parts OF China tax is i'm
posed on all women entering tho
bonds OF matrimony. Travellers to
those parts are obliged to take d
wife, and when they leave the ladies'
take fresh husbands, to the benefit
OF the revenue.
1t has boon stated that in Weimar
the authorities levied duty on mu-
sical parties. Tho regulations were
not given, but, doubtless. solos. duets,
trios and quartettes are subject to
proportionate rates Violins, cornets
and the flute should incur special
charges. Quite lately an annual tax
OF 10 francs has been imposed on
pianos in France. Music has paid
tribute to taxation in other ways A
musical troupe recently crossing the
frontier OF Saxony carried with them
a crown OF laurels awarded them at
a triumphal performance. The Gus
tom house officers taxed tho laurels
as spice. Massenet, the composer it
Is related. was also charged duty on
q crown OF laurels on the German
frontier. In his case the wreath was
deemed to be woven OF medicinal
plants In Montreal organ grinders
pay license OF $50, and are only al-
lowed to play at stated times. In
Vienna they are also licensed and
regulated us to hours. In France o
certificate of character. distinctive
badge and Limitation OF hours is in
sisted upon. No licenses for street
musicians have been issued for nine
years in Germany.
Yp g. patovsh,,,v ,n o,,&l..o. ,-,,,
sical performers are permitted, but
In romantic Italy there is u very
practical regulation excluding those
under lS years of ago from obtaining
license. In New York wandering
minstrels contribute to tho revenue
II each, md are prohibited from
playing within a certain distance OF
specified buildings or dwellings,, and
outside fixed hours. Barrel music in
the open Is not allowed to exist
in sunny Spain, but "gaily the trou-
badour twangs his guitar" for which,
however, u license is required.
Tho state finances in Russia arc re-
cruited by graduated income tax.
commencing at one per cent on in
comes between 1000 and 1000 rubles
"a ruble equals 3s. I'd. }, and increas
ing at the rate of one-tenth per cent
on every additional 1000 or fraction
of 1000 rubles. A duty of a quarter
kopeck (about one-tcnth OF penny
is also imposed on tho eggs Of all
kinds Of poultry, which tax on food
realizes several million OF rubles.
Cycles are subject to a tax of IS. in
France and OF a similar amount in
Brabant
''They do these things better in
France"-or worse. Advertisements
in the form OF posters and placards
are required to bear tax stamp in
France. which is distinctly tax on
trade and publicity. In Italy. where
the people complain that the taxes
are exorbltant, the voluntary taxes
paid by tho poorer classes in the
form of lottery amounts In year to
over f3,0)0, 900. At Lateral, tho
Italians recently broke out in open
revolt against the municipality which
had increased the hearth tax. and
took the civic buildings by assault.
wounding the Symdic. but they do
not agitate against the lottery tax.
"In old Madrid" last year there was
terrible and fatal rioting among the
men and women who hawk yepeta.