Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-03-20
AT TER LEGACY TAX
j. s. BULLOCK LOOKING OVER
COURT RECORDS.
INTERNAL REVENUE MAN
Says Many administrators and Not
Few Able Lawyers Fail to Comply
With the Provisions of the Federal
Iaw-Goes Back Four Years-Mr.
Bullock Wisconsin Man.
Madison, March IS


j. d. Bullock, United States inter
| nal revenue collector, is in Madison to
| investigate whether there be any tax
able legacies that have been received
since 1898 and which have not paid
the required federal inheritance tax.
He began his work in the records OF
the county court yesterday morning
and will be engaged there for some
time as he must go through ne
records OF the last four years.
/ Although Mr.. Bullock is a WiscOu-
sin man, his home being in Water
town, he has not seen much OF his
own state for several years. His
work in the internal revenue depart
ment took him to the south for the
last four years. In 1892 he was a can
| didate for the Office of state railroad
| commissioner on the republican ticket
| with Senator John c. Spooner, the
| latter heading the ticket for governor
Both went down in the political ava
! lanch that struck the republican party
! in this state after the famous Bennett
law legislation. He is now one of a
1
are employed to INSPECT records whe1e
it is thought that legacy and other
United States tax provisions are not
properly carried out, Intentionally or
through neglect or ignorance.
According to the government inheri-
lance tax, which of course is dnaffect-
ed by the recent decision of the state
SpOrornp cOIIrt which ropdarS, void rho
state measure of the same purpose. ali
legacies of $4,000 and over are taxed.
The rate varies according to the
amount Of the bequest and the direct
ness of the line of descent from the
testatOr to the legatee In cases OF
direct lineal descent the contribution
eXacted by the government from lega-
cies OF more than $4,000 and not ex-
ceeding $4,000 is Is cents per 500.
AS the line Of descent becomes more
removed the charge increases until it
reaches, in cases where there is no
lneal relationship whatever, to DER
cent, S. tax per 500 of legacy. These
rates are multiplied by IL in such
cases as where the amount OF the
legacy is over $4,000 and not greater
than 100000. When the legacy runs
beyond the 100000 mark the base
rate is multiplied by 2. beyond $500
900 by 212 and beyond 81 100000 by 8
There are harry expected to be many
taxable estates found in this county
and it was not singled out as an espec-
tally lucrative field by the internal
revenue department. Mr. Bullock was
asked whether he found enough taxes
due in the course of his work to pav
the salary he draws from the govern
ment. He smiled broadly ana
answered:
Boy, your Uncle Samuel pays me
fair days wages, almost as much
as | earn and not far from what ar
Office holder thinks he is worth. but
I'd like to make you present of my
salary if I could work on fair com
mission of the money which, in the
process Of going over these books in
the county courts | cause to be paid
into the national treasury The in
heritance tax is missed everywhere, in
amounts small and large. Il is not
very frequently done with the inten-
ton OF eVading the law, but admins
traitors. and quite frequently good and
able lawyers, forget or never learn
that the provisions Of the law reach
the estates in their charge / go over
these records back over the EAST four
years. and send my report to my chief
in Milwaukee. Then copy is sent
on to Washington and another copy
is sent back here TO Mr.. Monahan, the
collector for the western district OF
Wisconsin. He has one of his depu-
ties seek collection. Usually there is
no more necessary for people have q
way Of quickly obeying the demands
of the federal government"