The Winslow mail., 1898-08-06
ITALY'S MANY TAXES
The People of That Country Are
Sorely Oppressed.
IInprovidence of the Governmental
Financial System Results
in ExtortiOzate As
sessments.

The population of the United States
/ is about 2Ls times that of italy. The
population cf Italy was 31,0O0,000 in
1896; the present population of the
/ United States is II, 600. The annual
expenses of Italy for governme entail puT-
poses are in excess Of the equivalent Of
| $500. COO. eco in American money, or
more than S1oO, 100000 above the ex-
penses of the United States governments
| in an ordinary year. These expenses,
| however, include some items which be-
long more properly TO what may be
called the obligations Of the states I'M
provident financial system than to or
binary running expenses, but even with
this acknowledgment the amount Of
such ordinary expenses to be raised
from taxation is in excess Of 350,O00,Oo0
year.
For its war department Italy spends
in year $45,0OO,0o0; for its navy de-
partment, S20,O00,000; public instruc-
ton, by the central government, $1o,-
000,000; public works, $10,000,C00; ''the
expenses Of collection" lpublic officials,
agents, tax gatherers and clerks, $685.
000,0 eco; maintenance of the snowy but
useless department of foreign affairs,
$1O,0O0,O00; the kings civil list, S3,o0O,-
600. There is, then, the annual interest
on what is known as the consolidated
Tor bonded) Italian debt. The interest
amounts each year to nearly S1Oo,00O,-
600 (the United States expended for in
terest last year $37 ,OOo,o ,o0O); $15,00o,00o
for interest on the floating Italian debt;
SIG, coo for what are known as fixed
annuities," which regain fixed"
100000 for the department Of
finance; S1O,OO0,OOO for the mainte
nance of post offices (for the loss from
their operation) and the government
telegraphy system; 100000 for the
promotion of agriculture" $2,C00,000
for general expenses" $500,O00 for the
maintenance Of the senate and cham
ber of deputies, and the balance fer sun
dry and miscellaneous expenses, an ex-
act subdivision of which, under the Ital-
ian system of keeping accounts, is i'm
practicable.
The present debt of Italy is equivalent
to So, 500, 100000, and as there is deficit
every year, and small provision for
sinking fund, it is constantly on the il
crease. The taxes in Italy, which is
poor country, include many items
which in other countries would be ex-
empt. There are taxes On land, taxes
on buildings, taxes on incomes, taxes
on SUGGESTIONS, excise taxes, taxes from
customs, which yield in a year $50,0G0,-
eco only, and octroi duties, imposed on
marketable property brought into cit
les, and which amount in year to more
than SIS, 200, 900.
There is the tobacco monopoly, which
is virtually a tax on smokers, OF $40,-
O00,oC0 year; the salt monopoly,
culinary tax, of $15,000,000, and local
taxes for the maintenance OF schools.
The state gets revenue from telegraph
offices and prisons; from the use Of
state property, leases to individuals,
stamps ian item of nearly $2o,0C0,c 0,c00),
and from lotteries, an item Of $15,o00,000
more.
But all these taxes, monopolies and
speculative methods of raising the
wind" fall short of supplying the full
needs of the Italian government, which
falls behind each year and becomes in
volved in deeper obligation. In addi-
ton to the general taxation By the
government, there is local or commune
taxation amounting to $125,00O,0O0
year, while the debt of the Italian CON-
munes amounts, collectively, to 100000.
The marvel TO any observer is that Ital-
ians have been able to meet so much
of this vast and oppressive burden as
they have, in view of the fact that the
per capita national debt OF Italy is row
SIS, and the absence of SIS Tor its equiv
alent in lire) has been noticed among
Italians generally by all travelers,-N,
Y. Sun.