The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-21
CURIOSITIES.
OF TAXATION IN SOME OTHER
 LANDS.
France Gets s14O, 900 a Year Ouk oa Stamps-Austria Enforces CIeamla- ness--Greece Wanted Smokers
 To Take Out Licensen.


 France succeeds in raising 1A0,000.- 900 yearly out of stamp Nduties When you visit gay Paris, your hotel bilI comes to you with stamp on it. Eve ry check drawn bears an extra receipt stamp, across which you must sign your name, theatre tickets must be stamped. Even posters on the boardings are stamped, the value varying with the size of the bill.
 For municipal purposes It's towns also adopt queer expedients, says the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. l Every morsel of food. drink and fuel must pay tax, while Paris puts an ex- tra tax of 10 centimss Ca penny) on all spirits, besides mulcting landlords with Q one-half per cent. and tenants with a one 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 a view to raising money. And 1t was successful. too. for nearly a million pounds were added to the national funds.
 On another occasion only a certain kind of toothpowder was allowed to be sold in the streets-that kind made in the government factories. Rather than pay stiff price, people preferred not
 
 tax failed in its purpose. l Austria is another country that has succeeded in raising the wind by en- forcing cleanliness upon it's people. Un- der a penalty of $50, Austria demands that every householder shall have his chimney swept by the governmAnt sweep at least once a month for fear of fire. She found the measure most lu- crative as she charged a tax of 40 centa | for every chimney cleanSed. | Holland has similarly levied several queer taxes. Besides imposing duty of 4 cents on every person who entered a tavern before noon, she used to levy taxes on those who visited places of entertainment, on marriages and on many other things.
 If a person were buried out of tha district to which he belonged his near est of kin had to pay twice the amount that would have had to be paid had tha burial taken place In his own district. Even boots and shoes were not exempt regulated by the size of the article the smaller the shoes the smaller tha tax
 To be exempt from military service in Switzerland one must pay a tax of S25 a year, no matter whether one be cripple or an invalid And if the bill Is neglected the Swiss is prohibited from entering any beer garden or pub lice entertainment until the ful sum is paid.
 Greece attempted to raise the wind by making every smoker take out li- cense, but as the smokers objected and made riots in the streets, she compelled her people to purchase the national em- blenn in the form of a small flying swallow. These she had manufactured in bronze in very large quantities, charging a few cents for them, any person not having one in his or ner possession being liable to a penalty.
 Not a few countries have lifted them- selves out of financial difficulties by the aid of postage stamps. St. Hele- na nets a pretty penny by the sale of surplus stamps, so, too, do the Canary Islands.
 Since 1892 the petty state of Para guay has issued over 1SO different stamps, thus raising considerable sum. while British Honduras. Congo Free State. among many other eoun- tries have utilized the passion of stamp collectors as a means of raising the wind.