The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-21
why Spain Tries to
Keep Little Cuba.
1t Is Because There Are millions of Revenue
In 1t for Fer-How Cubans Are Taxed.

"There Is q tax upon almost every
| thing, and some ludicrous eXpedients
| for escaping a part of the burden are
adopted by the people. All signs and
placards are taxed SO much n word. If
you put your name and business over
your shop door you must pay tax there
| on. If 4 tradesman puts a sign In his
| window. This coat reduced from ten
| dollars to eight dollars he has to pay
40 cents tax on the placarad. Under
the law figures and pictures are not
taxed, and 50 in Havana you will see
signs on the houses of IA. or "a. or
S-i in common fractions. These mean
that one room, or two rooms, or three
rooms are for rent. the Spanish word.
quarter meaning both apartment
and quarter and figures not being
taxed. Again. in a hardware store
you will see nails screws. saws. ham
mers and such articles tied to placards
and the price put under them in figures
IN order to avoid the tax. over the
doors of barber shops you will see
signs composed of n picture of Il razor,
and under it the figures 10 and the
picture of pair of shears with the
figures '25' under 1t. This means that
shave costs 10 cents ana hair cut %
cents. and that the ingenious barber
has beaten the taXgatherer.
School Teachers Must Pay.
"Dressmakers must pay tax. School
teachers are taxed on tncir salaries
Often they are not paid for months at
time. but they must hand out their
taxes just the same. There is spe-
cial tax on mich cows. because they
produce something of value. An i'm
post is levied on meat and other sup
yph t.. a;
country into Havana. and the police
fire on dealers who are suspected of
smuggling. Every shop or store is
taxed so much, according to location.
n corner store pays more tax than one
not on the corner. The merchants take
their taxes as well as their expenses
and profits out of their customers.
High prices. petty imposition. are COM
mon. Adulteration Of wines. liquors.
coffee and such articles Is freely prac-
ticed. The citizen who keeps private
carriages must pay $l7 year for
two-wheeled vehicle and $25 year for
4 four wheeler.
In the high schools and university
pupil is taxed $3.50 for every study
he takes up. When he is ready for eX-
animation he must pay another tax on
each study. If he graduates with a de-
gree or diploma this must be on
stamped paper. All this is in addition
to the regular course fees. which are
high enough. 1t is impossible for a
poor youth 10 go through the university
in Havana. Education is a luxury
which only the rich can afford. If a
young man wishes to enter professional
life after completing his education. he
finds it costs $3.50 to secure admission
to the bar and similar sums to enter
other professions. There are not only
taxes on all the necessaries of life in
Cuba, but death is an expensive
luxury. Death certificates. burial per-
mlts, funeral rites are all costly. SO
expensive are internnents of the dead in
Havana that regular business there
is the renting of cofiins inwhich the
corpSes of the poor are carried to the
cemetery. There the remains are
taken out, buried without case, or in
plain wooden boxes. and the more ex-
pensive coffin returned to headquar-
ters to be rented out again. The
church appears to connive with the
government at making all rites and
ceremonies means of eXtOrting money
from the people. Probably this is eX-