The evening times., 1896-02-11
Over Tweniy-six Million Dollars
Collected Every Year.
PEOPLE PAY TO GET Welded
The Native of the Island, From the
Is Buried, Is Compelled to Pay Trib-
ute To the Spanish burdens
Hard to Bear.


and which is one Of the principal causes
of the present war. While the subject
OF :aNasiOn has been referred to frequently
during the present war in the island, 10
such general schedule of the taxes has
been before published.
"A CUBAN said DIR. Guiteras. lis intro
duced TO taxes at his birth, and they are
ever with him throughout his life, and
they cling TO him after he lies buried in
his grave. There is saddlcd upon the
Island OF Cuba debt OF $3.50, ,0O0, 900, and
Cuba pays Spain every -ycar $27 600, 600
in taxes.
This represents payment for the various
Instructions that. have taken place on the
island, the cost of the invasion of Maxi
milan into Mexico, with which we had
absolutely nothing TO do, the maintenance
of every Spanish legation and consular
officer on this continent and the support OF
the penal colony in Africa, to which politi-
cal prisoners and convicts of every portion
OF the Spanish doninions are sent.
We are compelled TO pay the expenses
| of the war with SlDto Domingo. when
! Spain was thrown out Of the island, ard
| we have got 10 keep Il horde OF Spanish
officials. Seven millions of the money
|
army and navy which is permanently quar-
! tered on the island, and OF all the vast
sum collected only SIiO,OoO is expcr de,i
| on the Island, and that is for internal i'm
| provcments.
PAY TO GET MARRIED.
ITO begin with, the Cubans must pay to
be married. / had to pay extra because l
married my cousin. / think II cost me $50
This fee is so high that many OF the poorer
classes overlook the marriage ceremony
For this reason one or the first acts or the
republican government in the interests OF
morality was to authorize civil maria ge
When n child is born the fact OF his birth
must be entered in "a civil register that
calls for a tax. Then he must be baptized
and the church AID state divide another
tax.
IF he desires an education taxes come on
him in all directions. He cannot take !,
degree without paying large tax to the
government. He must 20 to the government
college. He can study in any school ne de-
sires on the island, hut If he wants to pass
an examination he must go TO the govern
mcnt school and obtain it ard pay forit.
He is also compelled to go every year.
If he wants profession he must 90 TO the
University of Havana, which. by the way
yields big revenue To Cuba ard upon
which scarcely any money is expended in
bettermeDts. Very frequently the pro
feSSprs. who are Spaniards. never leave
Spain. and their places are filled by under
paid Cubans.
when the Cuban comes of age the first
thing he must do is to Obtain his ticket |
of leave This he must always carry about J
with him and present it to the authorities |
wherever called for. The poorest Cuban 1
must have IL, and 1t costs all the way from
80 cents to $50, according to ones rank |
II must be renewed and again paid for |
every year.
Every time he engages in any official !
or commercial transa CT ion this ticket of |
leave must be produced from the time he
is married until he is dead. 1t must be
produced after death. There is a charge
of SIC on his coffin, and If he cannot
pay that he is buried as a pauper. If the
Cuban wants 10 own a horse or any beast |
of burden and wants To 60 from place to
place with them he must take out taxed
Identification papers for the animals and |
pay from SO To $50 "A year for them.
HOTELS TAX HIM.
If in his travels he desires to stnp at
a hotel, before he places his name on the
register he must pay Il tax. If he desires
to carry firearms, and in many parts OF
the country they are necessary, he must
pay a tax of S24 a year. Every time he
pays a bill he must pay a tax ON the re-
ceipt he receives. II he desires to remind
a debtor Of his account he must pay a tax
on the statement of account. STAMPED |
paper is used in nearly every transaction.
and il costs him from % cents Il sheet to
S25.
''If he desires to practice his profes sion
le must pay tax every year according
% income. If he places Il sign outside
lis house he pays tax for so much IA :
etter, according TO his profession. If he
enews it or replaces it the tax is again
imposed. If he desires TO paint his house :
le must pay tax about equal to what
he painter charges.
If, on his farm, he has calf born he
must pay 81 or $40 tax. and subsequently,
When he desires TO slaughter it for the
market. lie must pay a tax of $1.1o per
90 pilos. At the same time jerked beef
rom the Argentine Republic is admitted 6
rec of duty. This is due to sort Of
eciprocity agreement, by which Spanish
vines enter that country free. 8
Flour pays a tax of 81 80 per bag Cuba z
an grow wheat, but Spain prohibits it, !
nd the island must import flour from u
pain. The result is that Spain does not u
Tow enough wheat, and the flour is shipped
rom the United States to Spain and then
Spanish ships to Cuba.
As d result in addition to the $3.50. | n
,sts OF this roundabout trans portation are ,
dded. Iron construction from the United Ii
tatcs pays S66 per ton and cast iron con-
ruction S26 per ton. This is purEoscly a @
rohibitory duty in order to compel the
iipmcnt of the iron from Spain. A good
cal of alcohol could be made in Cuba. but
ic Spanish government does not allow
ovcrnment can get German alcohol in
lchange for Spanish wines
The small production of sugar in Spain Il
protected by bounty. There is no =
ounty given tn Cuban sugar. and every u
3 cents worth of sugar going from Cuba III
} Spain must pay an export duty of 20 :"
,nts, Houses that do an import business D
re compelled to pay a tax of ST. COO,
lille those which do an export business
ust pay $500. But what adds TO all
esc various impositions is the fact that
e Spanish bank in Cuba acts as a re- p
liver of taxes for the government. and is c
ithorized to make surcliarge of 6 per &
mt on all taxes collected. h
"On the land all over the Island of W
uba the tax is So on every $780, N
he Cuban tax. remember, applies to all al
nd. But the Cuban mnst pay poll tax VI