The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-31
THE INCOME TAx-Ag OBJECT
LESSON.

LESSON.
The Augusta Chronicle Publishing
Company owns and operates daily
newspaper, one of the oldest and best
in the country, and also job printing !
establishment. 1t does n large bust
ness, paying out in salaries and ex-
penses more than $4,000 annually |
OF this amount sf.913.19 goes for the
State. city and county taxes. Several
months ago. as required by the United
States corporation law. the Chronicle
made Its return to the Federal Govern
nent, under protest. The other day,
the Chronicle received a reminder from
Henry Rucker, the negro collector of
internal revenue In Atlanta, telling 1t
that as 1t had not made the prescribed
return and as the time for fling the
return had expired. you are hereby
notified that, unless a full and COM
plete return of your company is re-
ceived at this office within ten days |
from the date OF this notice, an ex-
animation Of your books and papers |
bearing upon such matters required TO |
be included in such return will be |
made, pursuant to paragraph 4 OF said |
Section IS, and that the taxes so as
certained to be due will be assessed
and all penalties incurred by your COM
pany enforced as provided by law"
The Chronicle had already made its
full return as prescribed in Section SS.
and so notified the negro collectors;
but 1t turns the incident to very excel
lent account by showing how the Fed
eral income tax law will work ifit
be adopted by the States, saying:
How do you like the Idea of Fed
eral tax law which permits the United
States Government to send special
agent or auditor into your office to
make an examination of your books
and papers bearing upon the matters
required to be included in such return.
etc? In other words, how do you like
the idea Of having a special examina-
ton made of your business for the pur-
pose of ascertaining how much money
you ought to dig up for the United
States Government-in addition TO that
which you are now paying into the cof-
fers OF your State, county and city
government
We'll, whether you like the idea or
not, that's just what can be done under
our new Federal corporation income
tax law-and it's just what can, and
will, be done under the proposed gem
eral income tax law, the one so many
good Democrats have been clamornS
for all these years. and which the Re-
publicans, In their greed for more
money to spend, have all but enacted
and written Into the Constitution of the
United States.
Its all right, OF course-with most
people-when it comes to taxing corr
porations. even to making them pay
two to three times as much. in pro-
portion, as any one else pays-but how
is 1T going TO be when the Federal
Government begins to send its tax
gatherers around to levy direct tribute
on the incomes of private individuals:
"And suppose the United States
Government-as it is doing now-con-
tinues to use negroes. like Rucker and
Wimberly, to collect the income tax
for It, oh! we'll, some people are never
able to see thing-untl 1t is TOO
late
In addition to paying S1,91S.19 in
State, city and county taxes, the Chron-
!cle now pays a. Federal tariff tax on
the $4,000, or more, worth of white
paper it consumes every year, besides
a tariff tax on all the machinery that i,
uses and on every article employed by
1t in the conduct Of its business. II
will be required to pay now corpora
ton tax to the Federal Government
and when the income tax amendmen
-
be required to pay a Federal income
tax also. Every other concern in tn,
country will have to do the same thing
and not only VIII the corporations b.
required to pay taxes to the Govern
ment at Washington. but every pri
waite citizen who has an income from
any source amounting to $4,000 will b.
compelled to do the same thing, whe
Their he make 1t in growing cotton o.
tobacco, or in raising horses or corr
or in running q store or conducting
soda water fountain, or buildin:
houses. or owning a line of drays.
the paople do not make their returns
orH they make their returns in a wa
eminent do not approve. they will b
forced to submit their books to thes
officers. be they white black, brown
or yellow, for examination and pa,
for their failure TO make returns no
only the amount of the tax levied. Blu
the "penalties' besides, There is
popular misrepresentation that the in
come tax will only affect the very rich
but. as matter of fact. 1t will at
feet them least Of all. as they can stan
II and will stand it by raising the price
OF the things they control that. III
people must buy.
The purpose of tho income tax
to enable the Government TO rails
more money SO that II can spend NOR
money. This is a two-billlon dolla
country now. and when the income ia
amendment Is adopted to the Const
tuition IT will speedily become 50
Doo,ooo,00o country,