The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-03-15
TO POpUIARIZE TAXES.
Mr.. Goodloe Proposes Il Plan to Popular
ize the Internal Revenue Tax.

Mn. Goodloe Proposes Il Plan to Popular
ize the Internal Revenue Tax.
To the Editor:-A year or two ago. |
proposed a plan 60" popularizng the
National Internal Revenue system ny
transferring the collection to the States.
on the condition that the States were |
to have one-third of the revenue ]
mentioned this idea to a prominent Vir-
ginia politician recently, who caught
at it at once, and said, and with it
we could provide il fund for pensioninS
the Confederate soldiers" My idea was.
that it would be a great addition, TO the
school fund, of the South; but if one
third of the States third We're added to
the Confederate pension fund, the pro-
vision now made for the old soldiers
would be increased about ten-fold. The
Internal Revenue of the United States
TOW collected annually III North Caro-
lima, approximates three million dollars.
During the last fiscal year it amounted
to $2,76O,341.50 The system is very
unpopular, in all parts Of the country.
But if the collection were turned over
to the States officials, on the terms here
proposed, the whole people would become
deeply interested in the rigid enforce
ment of the law, and the result would
be, a considerable percentage of in
crease in the amoun collected. The
county officers. whether sheriffS or col
~lectors, would be closely watched by the
people and by the general government.
The aggregate Internal Revenue colec-
ted during the last fiscal year, as APP
pears in the Commissioners Report. WAS
S146. 1913, oSO.01. One-third of this sum
would be nearly $40, 100000. If it were
distributed among the States in proper
flon to po1l1Il1tton the share of North
Carolina would DC about as great as it
would DC if they were to receive the
third Of what is collected in the State.
for the population Of the State is quite
a forticth Of that of the Un;on Some Of
the States pay no revenue tax, or 50 lit
tie that the collection is made by Off
GERS belonging to other States. Miss
issippi. for instance, Is annexed to
Louisiana: Delaware to Maryland, and
of the forty-tive States, only thirty-fou,
appear in the list of Internal Revenue
paying States. Illinois is the great
whiskey State and pays the government
above thirty-two millions for the privi-
lege of manufacturing the article. New
York comes next with eighteen millions,
made mostly on tobacco, perhaps next
comes Kentucky with fifteen millions.
the fruits Of her manufacture of Old
Bourbon, and tobacco. Ohio pays nearly
thirteen millions, mostly on whiskey
Pennsylvania eleven and a half million
on Whlskey. South Carolina is put down
at ninety-thrce thousand dollars, and
Arkansas credited with ninety thousand
But these non-revenue paying States, arc
so n~ominally rather than rcally-for they
consume the articles and pay for then
quite as much as the States in which
they are manufactured. And it is Il wei
established principle III political economy
that the consumer pays the duty" They
are therefore entitled to come in for !
full share.
The government would lose nothing
The revenue system would work smooth
~. and q great deal of odiUm would
he got rid of. and much more revenue
would be collected.
The North ought to favor the plan
as it would be q tardy repatriation for th,
incivism of which they were guilt,
thirty years ago, in enfranchising fou
millions of illiterate men without yotin:
a dollar for their cducation-a task
which they imposed OH the impoverished
South.