Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-05-08
CURIosiTiES OF TAXATION IN
OTHER LANDS.

France succeeds In raising Sl40.-
100000 yearly out OF stamp duties.
When you visit gay Paris, your ho-
tel bill comes to you with a stamp
on II, Every check drawn bears an
extra receipt stamp, across which you
must sign your name. Theater tick
cts must be stamped. Even posters
on the bOardlngs are stamped. the
value varying with the size of the
bill
For municipal purposes its towns
also adopt queer expedients. Every
morsel of food. drink and fuel
must pay tax. while Paris puts an
extra tax OF 10 centimes Ga penny
on all spirits. besides mulcting land
lords with 2h per cent and tenants
with / per cent tax.
Germany at one time sent out char
women with instructions to inspect
and thoroughly cleanse peoples
houses. It was not done so much
with the idea OF cleanliness as with
the view to raising money. And II
was successful, too. for nearly a mill
lion pounds were added to the nation
al funds
On another occasion only certain
kind OF tooth powder was allowed 70
be sold in the stores-that kind made
in the government factories. RatA-
er tnan pay stifY price, people prO.
ferred not to use any dentifrice at
all, and so the tax failed In It's pul.
pose.
Austria is another country that has
succeeded In raising the wind by en-
forcing cleanliness upon It's people.
Under penalty OF $50 Austria DE-
mands that every householder shall
have his chimney swept by the gov.
ernment sweep at least once month
for fear OF Are. She found the meas
ure most lucrative. as she charged =
tax Of 40 cents for every chimney
cleansed.
Holland has similarly levied sever
al queer taxes. Besides Imposing Q
duty Of cents on every person wAo
entered tavern before noon, shA
used to levy taxes on those who vio'
tied places Of entertainment. on mar
riages, and on many other thingA
II person were buried out Of The
district TO wnlch he belonged, his
nearest OF kin had to pay twice the
amount that would have had to 10
paid had the burial taken place In
his own district. Even boots and
shoes were not exempt, regulated hy
the size OF the articie--the smaller
the shoe the smaller the tax.
To be exempt from military serv.
Ice In Switzerland one must pay q
tax OF $25 year, 70 matter wheth0
one be cripple or An invalid. Ana
II the bill Is neglected the Swiss -
prohibited from entering any beer
garden or public entertainment until
the full sum Is paid.
Greece attempted to raise the wind
by making every smoker take out
license, but as the smokers objected
and made riots In the streets, she
compelled her people to purchase
the national emblem in the form OF q
small flying swallow. These she
had manufactured In bronze in very
large quantities. charging q few cents
for them. and a person not having one
In his or her possession being liable
to n penalty.
Not a few countries have lifted
themselves out of financial dimeul-
ties by the aid Of postage stamps. st.
Helena nets pretty sum by the sale
Of surplus stamps. 20. too. do the Ca
| nary islands.
Since 1892 the petty state Of Para
quay has issued over 1870 different
stamps, thus raising a considerable
sum, while British Honduras. Congo
Free State, among many other coun'
tries. have utilized tine passion OF
stamp collectors as means Of rails
ing the wind