The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1897-04-01
Tho Tax on Alcohol
Boston Herald. March 10th, 1887.

Al dIIdukluk LII uO" AOoVOASOo VI |
revenue, the ways and means COM
mittee in Congress have undoubted-
ly to take into account the internal
revenue as we'll as the tariff laws,
and under such circumstances it is
Incumbent upon the com mittee to
consld-r whether or not the present
methods of taxing alcohol should
be revised. Commercial-that is.
test-alcohol has been selling lately
at the dist lleries, before the duty
has been paid, and without charge
for the packages, at the rate of
about 10 cents a gall m. The tax
u on this il $2.O7 q gall ID, so that
the impost is equivalent to tax burd-
en- of more than 200 per cent. There
is probably no tax imposed by the
United States, whether in customs
or internal revenue, that begins t.
compare with thus in extraordinary
proportions. 1t is absurd On the
face of it that alcohol used in, say,
the manufacture of varnish, or in
the pre- paration of medicine. should
be made to cost by tax $2.17 q gal
lion, when without the tax the price
/ WOulu UO ~ CVAio q AoAAOAs Nv
only reason that can be advanced
for this impost is that, as a bever-
age, our own government and all OF
the civilized governments of the
world believe that alcohol is COM
modify which can be easily made to
3 an enormous tax But alcohol as a
basis for varnish does not call for a
tax any more than turpentine would
when similarly employed, and the
. only reason urged against exsmp'
ton In these respects is that it dis
: elimination were made it might be
: d fcult for the government to pre-
= vent the pract,c of fraud; that is
8 persons would obtain Exemption
from the tax and would then use tn
t alcohol thus freed as a beverage IN
y stead of the trades and arts. 1t i
r asserted, and experience proves tn
It assertion to have a good basis t
10 rest upon, that in either countries O
Is the wo, Id it is found possible to max
70 this division; to impose q considera
1t BILE tax upon alcohol which Is use
IL as a beverage, and yet to make q re
d. mission of tax In those cases wher
o. the alcoholis used for other tina
to drinking purposes. 1t is, more tha1
ut this, urged that the governmer
le should grant to our domestic mani
facturers, as it does not at the pre-
ne emit time, the right to receive q r
bate on the alcohol used in the MAJ
he ufacturing goods intended for e:
IN port. If an American manufactur'
r., imports his alcohol and thus uses
as he can, when the goods are exporte
n claim q rebate from the governmen
&c but If he buys American made ale
ug hol and thus employs it no rebate
at accorded him. The entire subje
he is one calling for reasonable &c
OIL gressional action. The question
ur rebates and exemptions has boz
nd made study by q COMPRESSION
1t committee of which Senator Pla
ON of Come cticut IS chairman, a
it. With the data relating to the exl
rience of foreign countries tn
icy have been collected, the ways q
lch means committee, should be in
lar ton to formulate law that wot
the remove the burden now imposed
obs legitimate business enterprise, wh
my sull securing for the government
revenue that it needs by heavy tai
asst upon alcohol consumed as bev
BILE ara.