Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1898-07-07
THE new REVENUE LAW.
1T AFFECTS DRUGGISTS MORE
THAN ANY OTHER CLASS OF
BUSINESS MEN.
Revenue Stamps Must be Applied to
Nesrly Everything That is Sold
From q Drug Store-Law Went
Into Effect July1.

affected by the war tax, as about two
thirds of the articles they keep for
sale require stamp of some denomi-
nation. The law took effect no July
1, when the use of the stamps will
be begun.
In conversation with a LEDGER re-
porter this morning, Mr.. Purdy, of
the firm of Woodbridge & Purdy,
said the tax on articles sold IN drug
stores varied from "a of a cent to 80
cents and that the tax is a direct drain
on the druggists. The new revenue
law sternly says that no taxable arti-
cles, whether in the hands of the
manufacturer, wholesale dealer or
druggist, must be sold after July 1
without revenue stamp.
Druggists have walled loudly at the
discrimination. "Why should our
stock in trade be taxed" they say,
"when the hat dealer and the shoe
merchant and the dry goods man is
exempt"
After July the manufacturers
of drugs advance prices and an arti-
Gle that retails for 25 cents, and under
the old law sold for $1.75 per dozen,
under the new will be raised to 1925.
Proprietary medicines that retailed
for $1,00 per bottle will be 25 cents
higher and even chewing gum will be
more costly to the seller but not to the
chewer. No scheme has been devised
by which q package of gum may be
sold conveniently for anything except
five cents. But the manufacturers are
going to reduce the number of pack
ages in box. The war revenue bill
places a tax of four cents on each
"box, catron jar or other package
containing chewing gum of not more
than 81 actual retail value" and for
every additional dollar of value an
additional tax of four cents. The
stamp is to be placed on every box of
chewing gum, and packages will not
be removed excepting as they are
sold, as cigars are from cigar box.
Manufacturers of gum must stamp
all goods which they sell to dealers,
and in order to reimburse themselves
they will sell boxes containing twenty
packages at the same price as they
now sell twenty-five package box.
The worst blow at the druggists is,
he must pay tax for selling the goods
he had on hand before July 1. Many
of the medicine makers have already
raised their prices to druggists, others
have given notice that they would do
80 after July 1, and so will the retailer
whenever he can. The druggists say
that it would be poor policy to charge
six cents for five-cent box of cough
drops. The druggist must himself
pay the one-eighth of a cent tax.
When the retail price of an article
does not exceed 8 cents, a tax stamp
of 1s of 6 cent will be glued to it;
when the retail value reaches 10 cents
the tax is d cent; when the price is
Is cents the tax is q cent; the tax for
articles selling between Is and 25
cents is q of cent, and for every
additional 25 cents in retail value q
of a cent tax is charged. The law
permits druggists tn buy stamps and
apply them as the goods are sold, and
yesterday it was announced from the
rev enue department at Washington il
stamps could not be obtained goods
could be sold without them until they
could be had.
No one line of business is SO affected
by the new law as the druggist, as
nearly everything he sells must be
stamped.
On. and after tomorrow all bank
checks, receipts, notes, mortgages,
deeds and powers of attorney must
be stamped and q heavy penalty will
be inflicted for failure.