The Washington herald., 1908-08-16
SCHEMES TO RAISE TAXES
European Governments Gouge Sub
jects When They Need Money.
Italy Has a Tax on ImbeciIes,
hut II Il Only the State
Lottery.

some queer zXpedients have frequently
been adopted By the European govern
ments 10 tax their governments. The
method usually devised is some so-caIIed
public safety measure which will bring
In money Il it is followed and viii stiu
have the same effect II il is dlsobeyed.
In this class was one which the German
government utilized at one time. Il sent
out charwomen with Instructions 70 in
spect and clean the houses Of everybody
II the people objected they were dned and
Z they didn't they had TO pay a charge
for the services thus rendered Alto
gether the national funds were aug
meut=d by $4,000 in this way.
On another occasion only a certain kind
OF tooth powder was allowed 70 be sold
in TIE stO7es-rtat kind made in the gov
ernment factories. Rather than pay the
high price demanded the people preferred
not 10 use any denufrice al al and The
tax failed in its purpose
Austria Is another country that has sue
ceeded f. raising money by forcing clean
Hness upon its people Under a penalty
of 81 Austria demands that every house
holder shah have his chime. sweor al
least once q month for fear OF fire. the
work 20 be done BY the government
sweep She found the measure most Iu-
cratve, as she charged a tax Of x cents
FOR every chimney cleaned
Italy has a plan for raising money that
has been called "a tax on inbeciIes-~
This IS the state lottery. from which
she raises a considerable sum out OF
the numbers from 70 p every Saturday
night FIVE winning numbers are drawn.
For the player 70 win K IS necessary 10
draw one OF more Of these numbers. Il
YOU draw one risht you gain fourteen
times what you paid-that IS. S. proba-
bilities in favor Of the government II
you draw two numbers you gain 80 times
what you paid but YOU have only ten
probabilities IN YOUR favor. while the gov
eminent has 3-e0- II you draw three YOU
gain 4-50 times what YOU riskeE. but
while the probabilities IN your favor are
sttu ten those OF the government are
IL. 40. and the same proportion Is main
tained If you draw four or al Of the
France succeeds in raising S1sn 90 90
yearly out OF stamp duties When vo-.
visit gay Paris your hotel bills come 10
YOU with a stamp on them Every check
drawn bears an extra receipt stamp.
across which you must sign your name. Z
LleateT tickets must be stamped Even
posters On the boards are stamped. the Z
value varying with the size % the bills .
For municipal purposes its towns also +
adopt queer expedients Every norseI OF .
food drink. or fuel must pay a tax
while Paris puts a tax OF one penny on +
all spirits. besides mulcting landlords +
with y Per cent, and tenants q I per /
cent tax
Holland has similarly levied several /
queer taxes Besides imposing a duty OF {
? cents OF every person who enters q +
tavern before noon. she used 10 levy
taxes on those who visited places OF en-
tertaiumenJ, on marriages and on many
other things
II a person were buried out Of the dis
-rict 20 which he belonged his nearest
Of kin would have TO pay twice the (.
amount that would have had 70 be paid 4.
bad the burial taken place in his own \
district Even boots and shoes were L
taxed. regulated by the size OF the az \
dcle-the smaller the shoe the smaller the I
tax
In Switzerland 70 be exempt from mill
-ary service one must pay a tax Of s.
year. no matter whether one be z cripple
II an invalid And II the bill is neglected
he Swiss IS prohibited from entering any
Deer garden or public entertainment until
he full sum is paid /,
Greece attempted to raise money by
making every smoker take out a license.
,ut as the smokers objected in such Z
strenuous manner. causing riots IN the
treets and in other ways EMBARRASSING
he government the plan failed But she
compelled her people 10 purchase the na-
lonai emblem in the form Of a flying
wallow- These she had manufactured
n bronze in large quantities. charging a
ew cents for them. Any person not
aving one in his OF her possession was
liable 70 a penalty