The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-24
TRICKS TO RAISE TAXES.
How European Governments Gougs
Subjects When Money is Needed.
philadelphia Pilot.


Some queer expedients have fire.
quently been adopted by the European
governments 10 tax their people The
method usually devised is some So
called public safety measure which
will bring in money II It is followed
and will still have th. same effect if
il is disobeyed
In this class was one when the Ger
man government utilized one time. ft
sent cut charwomen with instructions
TO inspect and clean the houses of
everybody. If the people objected they
were fined, and if they didn't they had
to pay a charge for the service thus
rendered. Altogether the natiOnsl
funds were augmented by 5000 600 in
this way.
On another occasion only a certain
kind of tooth powder was allowed 10
be sold in the stores-that kind made
in the government factories. Rather
than pay the high price demanded the
people preferred not to use any denti-
frice at all. and the tax failed in its
purpose.
Austria is another country that has
succeeded in raising money by fore
ing cleanliness upon its people. Under
d penalty of $50 Austria demands that
every householder shall have his
chimney swept at least once a month
for fear Of fire. the work TO be done
by The government sweep. She found
the measure most lucrative, as she
charged a tax of 40 cents for every
chimney cleaned.
Italy has a plan for raising money that
has been called "a tax on imbeciles'
This is the state lottery. from which she
raises a considerable sum. Out OF the
numbers from / 10 90 every Saturday
night five winning numbers are drawn.
ne
draw one or more Of these numbers IL
you draw one right you gain fourteen
times what you paid-that IS. eighty-fiVe
probabilities in favor of the government
times what you paid, but YOU have only
ten probabilities in your favor, while the
government has s, 80. If you draw three
YOU gain go times what you risked, but.
while the probabilities in your favor are
still ten. those Of the government are
III, 40. and the same proportion is main
tanned if you draw four or ali Of the num-
bers.
France succeeds in raising $4,000 con
yearly out of stamp duties. When you
visit gay Paris your hotel bills come 20
you with a stamp on them. Every check
drawn bears an extra receipt stamp
across which ySu must sign your name
Theatre tickets must be stamped. Even
posters on the boards are stamped. the
value varying with the size OF the bills.
For municipal purposes its towns also
adopt queer eXpedients. Every mOTsei OF
food drink or fuel must pay a tax while
Paris puts a tax of one penny on an
spirits. besides mulcting landlords with a
2ls per cent and tenants a I per cent tax.
Holland has similarly levied seVeral
queer taxes. Besides imposing a duty of
. cents on every person who enters tav-
ern before noon, she used 10 levy taxes on
those who visited places of entertain
ment, on marriages and on many other
things.
II a person were buried out OF the dis
trict 10 which he belonged his nearest
OF kin would have to pay twice the
amount that would have had 10 be paid
had the burial taken place in his own
district. Even boots and shoes were
taxed. regulated by the size of the arti-
cle-the smaller the shoe the smaller the
tax.
In Switzerland to be exempt from mill
tary service one must pay a tax Of SIS
year, no matter whether one be a Grip
pie or an invalid. And II the bill is neg
lected the Swiss is prohibited from en-
tering any beer garden or public enter
tainment until the full sum is paid.
Greece attempted 10 raise money by
making every smoker take out a license
but as the smokers objected I'm such siren
uous manner causing riots I'm the streets
and in other ways embarrassing the gov
eminent, the plan failed But she com
PEELED he people TO purchase the nation
al emblem L. the form Of a flying sWal-
low These she had manufactured in
bronze in large quantities. charging few
cents for them. Any person not having
one in his or her possession was liable
TO a penalty.