The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-06-16
NOW FOR WAR TAXES
GAME POINTS AGOuT THE NEW REV.
ENuE MEASURE.

Beer, Cigars, Tobacco and Telephones
Among the Articles Selected to Con.
I tribute to the Gnvernment-Wnl Go
:. Into Eject ON JuIyI. ..A..
New York, June l5.-Many inquirers
beset the internal revenue offices at No.
ia Nassau street yesterday seeking in
formation regarding the workings OF
the internal revenue Office in collecting
the additional revenue tax made nee
essary by the war. AS is well k.own,
many of the increased rates e taxa
ton became operative yesterday. The
tax on beer and ale, fixed at So q bar
rel. tobacco, fixed at IL cents a pound;
cigars, fixed at $3.50 a thousand; ciga-
rettes, at S1.50 a thousand, went into
effect yesterday. Only the stocks al
ready in the hands of retailers, or sa-
loon keepers, escapes the tax, and the
brewery that began operations yester-
day without a barrel of beer having
loaded the cellars and store rooms of
its customers to their utmost capacity
to effect this, will escape taxation on
its manufactured product, and will on
ly have to pay upon that yet to be pro-
duced.
Stamp Taxes.
The stamp taxes will go into effect
on July l, and 1T will be necessary to
stamp each bank check, manifests OF
express packages, telegraph messages,
indemnifying bond, life insurance.
policy benefit insurance, fire insurance,
lease, mortgage, passage to foreign
countries, patent medicine, perfumery
and wine. The internal revenue office
has large quantities of beer and to-
bacco stamps on hand, and they will
be used before any call Is made for
new stamps. Over each of the new
printed stamps will be stamped in red
ink distinguishing mark to show it
has been bought under the increased
price. After all that are now on hand
have been used up a new series will
be furnished by the treasury depart
ment. probably distinguished as the
series of 1885,"
Cigar and tobacco dealers who called
at the revenue offices yesterday were
Informed that their stock on hand
would be taxed at half the rate fixed by
law for cigars and tobacco. This. of
course. is in accordance with the law.
Collecting Taxes.
The chief deputy David S. Wendell,
answered questions yesterday in the
absence of the collector, John A. Ma
son. He said that he had no knowl-
edge of what increased force would be
necessary to collect the taxes No
preparations had been made as yet,
he said, and nothing would be done un-
til a schedule Of regulations was re-
ceived from Washington. Copies Of
hi mill h. ,olo t.,
vision superintendents, and they will
notify the different persons and firms
affected by the tax. 1t is presumed
that dealers in articles upon which the
tax goes into effect Immediately will
read of its provisions in the papers
and that they Will prepare an inven-
tory OF their stocks. AS soon as the
collectors force has been increased suf-
6ciently to allow of His notifying the
dealers, it will be done. This will be
the official notification, but the tax
will be reckoned from yesterday wheth-
er the taxpayer was officially notified
yesterday or not. Upon receiving the
dealers inventory the deputy collector
will investigate its correctness and af-
fix the amount of tax.
Telephone Taxes.
Just how the telephone tax is to be
collected puzzles the Office, which has
not gone very deeply into the subject
anyway as such details or administra-
ton will be settled by the schedule of
regulations expected from Washington.
1t is presumed that the sworn state
nent of the telephone companies will
be accepted, and that messages cost
ing fifteen cents now, will, after july
I, cost sixteen cents, the company sim
ply adding the one cent tax to be paid
by thecustomer. Thus, it is thought,
the companies will have no object in
submitting other than correct state
nent of its messages.
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