The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-15
BEER AND TOBACCO TAXON
THAT PART OF TIKI WAN REVENUE
LAW wow OPERATIVE.

uaif Rates win Ne Levied Upsn stsoEs en-
ESAna ana Full Rates uPsn These Manu-
naotursa rFsn Yesterday On-A Hard Blew
to the saAIi Independent nFoweriss.
That part OF the new Revsnuelaw which calls
for an Increased tax on beer. tobacco, cigars,
and cigarettes went int effect yesterday, and
manufacturers and retailers will not only have
TO pay q tax on THAT they produce and sell In
tho future, but also on all Goods In stock yoster-
day. Arrangements for determining the amount
due the Government from the brewers and to-
bacco men on their present stocks have not been
made yet and will not be made for several days.
The Internal Revenue Collector will have to
trust to the honesty of tho manufacturers and
dealers. In a few days these dealers will be or
dered To make inventories Of their stocks and
send them in to the ofico of tho Collectors Of In
tornal Revenue. They win receive q schedule
Of the regulations that will enable them to cal
oulato what they owe the Government. II they
do not respond promptly. the Government will
mako out bills for them.
The taxcs that became operative yesterday
were 81 = barrel on beer, IL cents . pound on to-
bacco. $3.50 q thousand on cigars. and $3.50 q
thousand on cigarettes. Hundreds Of tobacco
men who road in the newspaper about their
new obligations called at the ONCE OF Internal
Revenue Collector John A. Mason At ia Nassau
street yesterday to inquire exactly what they are
required to do. None Of them had boon noti.
ned o~ficlally of the new tax on their goods, and
they were in tho dark. They didn't ind Mr..
Mason in his once because no was out of town
in the morning. but Chief Deputy David 8. Wen
dell ansWorsd their questions. He told the to-
bacco mon that their stocks on hand were TO DO
taxed at half tho rate fixed by law and their
future output at the full rate. The tobacco mon
were not at all pleased at the prospect Of having
to pay taxes on goods in stock, but they didn't
say much.
MI. Wendell told q reporter that he didn't
know what arrangements had boon made for
tho collection OF the new taxes, but he didn't
think anything would be done until schedules OF
the regulations were sent on from Washington
Copies Of those scheduled, he said, would DO
placed in the hands of the division superintend-
ents, who will distribute them. Mr.. Wendell
newspapers what was required of them and
make up their inventories Of stock on hand
without waiting to be officially notified.
Internal Revenue Collector Moore Of Brooklyn
aont circulars on Monday night to all cigar
dealers In his district telling OF tho new tax and
when it was to become operative. He also sent
his deputies to the nfty-six brSwories in the dis
trict to take inventories OF all the stamps the
brewers had on hand. together with the number
Of barrels Of beer stamped but not sent out.
There was q rush Of brewers to Collector
Moore's Office yesterday. They brought their
stamps with them, and on payment of the ad-
ditional tax the legal imprint was placed upon
them. The work Of attending to the brewers
was done in short order. and II the collection of
all the other war taxeS can DO effected AZ OK
peditiouSly there will be mono of the confusion
that some people arc predicting AZ o result of
the new law.
An officer of tho Brewers Exchange Of this
city said yesterday shat tho increase OF . dollar
q barrel in tho tax on boer would drive about
all the small brewers out Of business. These
small brewers do not belong to the Brewers As
ISOLATION. and In order to secure custom they
nave to sell their products at . lower rate than
the big brewers. Unless they agree to share
tho new tax with tho retailer or bear It all them
selves they will net be able to retain their trade.
The average output Of the small brewery IL be-
tween 5000 and 10000 barrels q year. and at
the rate OF 81 a barrel the tax will DO moro than
any Of them can stand.