The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-16
HOW ABOUT YOUR TAXES
List Night Closed the Season For Filing
IlCOm,S.
NOT A VERY BAD JOB AT ALL
About $50 Returns Received From
This DIstriot-Some OF the Big .
Mining Companies File Else
re-Delinquents. t&

BUTTE, April 15.-The period for filing
income tax returns expir ed at II o'clock
tonight, and Deputy Collector Forbis re-
NAMED in his Office until a late hour this
evening TO receive the returns OF few
tardy individuals. About $50 returns
have been received from this district,
which embraces Silver Bow, Deer Lodge,
Granite, Missoula and Ravalli counties,
and Mt least 100 of these were from Butte.
Over 80 Of the returns were received to-
day, and in addition to this there were
about 20 applications for return blanks
that could not be filed. Mr.. Forbis ran
out of blanks n couple of days ago. but,
under instructions from Collector Lyman,
he kept list of all par
ties applying for blanks within
the prescribed.time and they will be al
lowed to make their returns as soon as
another supply of blanks can be rece ived
from Washington and will be exempted
from the penalty of 80 per cent. that will
be added to all returns received after to-
day. About 10 per cent. of the returns re-
ceIved have been filed under protest,
under the belief that If the income tax
law is finally declared unconstitutional
they will have less trouble in securing the
returns of their money than they would
otherwise experience.
-
we'll and there are good many, particu-
larly IN Butte, who will have to pay PEN
atty of 80 per cent. additional tax for
their neglect to look after the very inn
portant matter of filing their returns.
Mr.. Forbs reports. however, that in look
ing after the enforcement of the law he
has been very courteously treated all
around, and he has n much better opin-
ion of human nature in general than he
had before. There has been general
disposition among all parties interested,
he says, TO do what is right In the matter,
and this fact has made his position much
more pleasant than 1t otherwise would
have been.
The law imposes the greatest secrecy
upon collectors and IL Is impossible to Sc
cure any figures relative TO the returns
that have been made. 1t can be safely
stated, however, that the new law will not
yield the government very heavy divi-
dend for several reasons. The first and
most important of these is that the Ana
conda company and Lexington company
are the only two mining companies of
any importance that have filed their re-
ports IN this district. The report of the
Anaconda company was made out at the
New York office, but was sent here to be
filed. The returns of the Butte q Boston
and Boston & Montana Mining companies
and the Butte City Water company will
be filed in Boston, those of the Bi-Metallic
and Granite Mountain companies in St.
Louis and the Alice company will make
their returns at Salt Lake City,
thus depriving this district from
an extensive revenue. This district
| may be given credit by the districts in
which the returns OF the companies named
| are filed for the revenue resulting from
| them, but il is not certain that such will
| be done. The eruling of the supreme
court that rents could not be taxed has
also reduced the revenue from Silver Bow
county by at least one third and when it
is remembered that the past year has
been a very poor one for incomes in this
section, ii will be readily seen that the
government will not derive avery extern
sive revenue from this district. III the
income tax is thoroughly enforced, how
ever, as it is promised by the government
it will be, the revenue will no doubt be
materially increased by additional re-
turns and the penalties attached thereto.
The re have been no returns to speak of
received outside of the cities of Butte,
Anaconda. Missoula and Deer Lodge, and
| several of the heaviest taxpayers in Mis-
soula county have not sent In any re-
turns. The mistakes made in the returns
have been very few. The most important
ones are those in which the returns of
several small corporations have been in
cluded in that of one large company. The
law requires that leach corporation must
file a separate and distinct return, even
although it's entire product may be con-
sumed by n larger company of which it Is
practically part. ..t. ~