The Washington herald., 1913-10-13
PHILIPPINE. TAX
COLLECTION gain
Increase Of $500, ,2sS.s3 Is
Shown During the Last
Fiscal Year.
ANNUAL REPORT MADE
Collector Noltins Tells How Plan To
Replace Americans With NativesI In
Many Positions Works Out

The Bureau Of Insular Affairs has just
received the annual report Of William
u. Niting. collector of internal revenue
of the Philippine Islands, for the fiscal
year ending June %. This bureau col
lects not only the taxes on liquors and
tobacco but also the cedula, or poll tax,
the percentage tax on sales OF merchan-
disc and all occupation taxes. These
are to some extent Of local nature,
the cedula being entirely so, and, while
collected by the agents of the central
ONCE, are later apportioned to the
provinces and municipalities. In other
words, the practice which obtains In
many states OF having taxes paid to the
state and then apportioned among the
counties is extended in the Philippines
50 as to include the towns or muni-
cipalitIes.
For the year ending June 30 last, Col
lector Noting reports total collections Of
81, 80. .ss2sS. an increase OF $500, 1855 over
the preceding yearA OF the increase
nearly seven hundred thousand dollars
was due to a larger output by manufac-
tories Of taxable articles and to a stricter
enforcement Of the laws imposing taxes
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax.
The amounts named include the land
tax, $50, ,7l5.40. in the city of Manila.
which has a population CT approximately
100000 OF internal revenue proper the
tax collected on alcoholic and tobacco
products was A.040.e1s3l, on dealers
SSS3,15. and on imported articles of this
nature $3S5.s96.
One item of decreased receipts ia very
gratifying. the amount Of penalties COL
lected under the opium law, IL being less
than $4,000. or a decrease Of more than
3 per cent The Philippine Government
having been the pioneer in the recent
worldwide movement for the suppression
OF opium, and having taken the sue
cessive steps OF licensing, medical treat
ment and prohibition, with the rigid en-
forcement of punitive laws. now may
look forward to early completion Of the
task taken up Of effectually eradicating
the opium evil among the Chinese resi-
dents, as 1t has already among the Fiji
pinos
The apportionable taxes amounted to
17,4S4,27S pesos. or half that many dol
lars, including the regular cedula or
poll tax. S1.o71.5S1.1 which was divided
equally between the municipalities and
provinces, the extra cedula tax voted
by the various provincial boards,
gone to the provinces for road and
bridge purposes. The municipalities re-
ceived license taxes to the extent of
over 10000 while the
other collections of S1,5S2,O41 were d.
vided equally between the municipali-
ties and provinces
The central. or insular, government
s4.741,ss7 from the apportion-
able taxes and about s70O,0 900 from cer-
tain special sources.
Nine New Taxation Laws.
The Philippine Assembly and Com
constituting the Legislature.
at its session last winter, passed nine
laws affecting taxation in minor re-
spects. the most interesting of which
was the exemption from taxation Of
newspapers not devoted principally to
advertisements.
One phase Of Mr.. Nolting's report
throws an interesting bit of light on
the working out of the policy OF re-
aucing the number OF Americans in the