Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-11-29
DON'T PAY INCOME TAXES.
Germans Resort to All Sorts of De-
vices to Evade the Collectors
Pay Dearly When Detected

Prussia has a good deal of trouble
in collecting the most troublesome
kind of tax that IS levied, the income
tax, but that country makes poor man
and rich man toe the mark with al
most savage celebrity. Last year, says
the New York Press, nearly third
of the decorations for taxes were OBJ
jected to by the authorities on ac-
count of the statements made by the
citizens. Enough of these persons
corrected their statements forthwith
to bring down to one-quarter of all
the proportion of those who waited
for formal legal procedures. Of these
statements, which were objected to,
the authorities finally accepted per
cent. as they originally stood and so
per cent. were changed by. the per-
sons making them. This left Is per
cent. against whom summary proceed
ings had to be taken. The corrected
statements increased the taxable in
come % per cent, or $40. 600 GOO, and
the taxes "a per cent, or 81, 600.
In the last three years $2S4, coo has
been collected in penalties and $780,
600 in back taxes.
The methods the Prussian citizens
take of falsifying their statements are
ingenious in some cases. In addition
to his regular books a certain mer-
chant kept three small books with
false entries, thinking that by them
he could prove his untrue statements.
He put down his income for two years
as s., 3,104. when in reality it amounted
to $15,771. To square matters cost
him his back taxes and a fine of S2,-
$50. Other men who tried the same
scheme were found out. Two cattle
dealers each paid a fine of 1852 for
undertaking their income for four
years to the amount of $1,000. From
one brewer was collected a fine of
S7.140 and from another $3.50 for
crooked declarations. Even officials
were caught in the dragnet of the
authorities. A high municipal officer
had sworn that his income from inter
est was only a sixth of what it really
was. This wasn't found out until
after his death, but the tax officers
got after his heirs and the back taxes
were collected from his estate. The
same thing happened to the heirs of
bank director who had understated
his income So. 500. They had to pay
s.. .s62 in back taxes. A retired bust
ness man had stated his income from
moneys out at interest was only about
a quarter of the actual amount and
the deception cost him S4,125 in
fines.
Even in monarchy are found men
who dare to object to the direct tax.
A rich, prominent and highly es-
teemed manufacturer registered an
indignant "kick" at any investigation
of his income, and when he found that
that would do him no good he gave
his income for three years as S33, ,Te6,
while it amounted to S46.SS6. He got
more indignant still when he had to
pay S4,950 in fines.
A wine dealer declared for six wears
an income of so per cent. less than
the fact. The amount involved was
| more than $4,000 and be was pun
ished to the amount of 30.940. a
man who speculated in stocks and
hadn't mentioned his income from this
source had to pay in back taxes s4,-
514 and in fines S3,332. Even a poor
school-teacher, who concealed an in
come on which he would have to pay
tax only of 500. had to pay penalty
of four times this amount. And a
clerk who had concealed his income
from commissions and had stated his
salary too low had to pay 81 1,190 in
back taxes and fine.