The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-10

ules A and B. also for the monthly
payment of excise taxes on sugar re
fneries and for penalty for failing
to stamp parlor car tickets, Further
provisions are suggested as to the eN-
aminations by internal revenue officers
of articles subject to internal revenue
taxes.
The following are the proposed
amendments to the war revenue act:
In paragraph 1, section ?, relative to
bankers, insert in the proper place the
following: undivided profits shall be
considered as surplus in estimating the
tax due from banks, the amount to be
estimated by taking the average for
the preceding year, provided that the
word capital shall not be understood
to mean money borrowed or received
from time to time as deposits IN the
usual course of business from any per
son not a partner Of, or interested III
the bank, association or firm
Paragraph 4, section ?, relative TO
commercial brokers: THE supreme
court held in the case Of Lack VS..
Tucker 2S Wall, 321, that persons who
receive into their possession any goods
or merchandise and sell them on com
mission, cannot be regarded as com
mercial brokers'" This relieves many
persons who would otherwise be la
BILE There is no tax imposed On COM
mission merchants, auctioneers or real
estate agents or brokers. There seems
no special reason for singing out com
mercial brokers and requiring special
tax from them, especially as the TAX
falls, in the main, on a poorer class OF
people. / recommend, therefore, that
the tax on commercial brokers be
repealed, or that other classes of bust
ness shall, as commission merchants
and real estate agents, be required to
pay special tax"
Paragraph 9 of section 2: Lectures,
where Illustrated by stereOpticOn or
otherwise, should not be regarded as
exhibitions and shows, and should be
exempt from payment Of special tax,
as should also local clubs or amateur
performers, charging a price of ad
mission to their entertainments only
for the purpose of meeting the eX-
penses and not for pecuniary profit.
Add to the paragraph in schedule A,
relative to bank checks, the following:
Provided that papers in the nature
of receipts or otherwise, used as bank
checks or orders for the payment of
money shall be taxable as checks, eX-
cept in the case of Withdrawal of funds
from savings banks by a depOsitor on
presentation of his bank book, or also
impose a tax on all receipts. Pro
vided that any instrument purporting
on it's face to be a statement of weights
or rates Of merchandise, when cashed
as d check or order for the payment of
money, shall be held liable TO stamp tax
the same as q check"
Under the head Of Express and
freight" in schedule A, add the follow
ing: And provided. also. that no
stamped receipts or stamps shall be re-
quired for any bale, bundle, box, arti-
Gle or package transported for the
United States government, nor for such
bales, bundles or packages as are
transported by such companies or per
sons which charge thereon"
The stamp tax on mortgages or
pledges, schedule A, should, in my
opinion, be removed; also, ON the as
sigrment or transfer of mortgages,
leases, policies of Insurance. renewals
Of agreements, etc. AS there is
tax on promissory notes. the tax on
mortgages is double taxation, and falls
( on the debtor class. If thought best
not to repeal this tax, l suggest, in or
der to relieve parties from double tax
alton, provision of this kind: mo
stamp duty shall be required on any
power Of attorney accompanying
bond or note or pledge, or certificate
Of stock when such bond or note or
pledge or certificate of stock shall have
affixed thereto the stamp or stamps
denoting the DUTY required, and when
ever any bond or note shall be secured
by a mortgage, but one stamp duty
shall be required to be placed on such
papers; provided that the stamp duty
placed thereon is the highest rate re
quired for such instruments, or either
of them
Repeal the paragraph in schedule A
imposing a tax Of 10 cents on "certili-
Gates of any description required by
law because of the difficulty and I'M
certainty of determining what certif-
Gates are taxable. Amend the para
graph imposing one cent on telegraphic
dispatches so as to make it definite and
certain as to who is to affix and pay for
the stamp, the telegraph company or
the person who sends the dispatch
Amend section as follows: Begin
ming with provided strike out all the
rest of the section and substitute the
following: "The taxes provided for in
schedule B of this act shall apply to all
patent, trademark or proprietary medi-
cinal articles and to all medicinal arti-
cles which are put up in style or man
ner similar to that of patent trade
mark or proprietary medicines in gen
eral. or which are advertised on the
package or otherwise as remedies ar
specifies for any ailment or as having
any special claim to merit or TO any
particular advantage in mode of pre-
paration. quality, use or effect: Provid-
ed that no STAMP shall be iu1posnd ,,Do,,