The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-02-12
INCOME TX LAW DOES THE BUSINESS Keenest Lawyers Have Not Net Found Way of Evading
 Mir. HulPs Measure. Banks Petition Congress for Reimbursement for "Col-
 lection-at-So
 Feature.

Washington, Feb. 12.-The income tax law has teeth in it and it is enec- tive in collecting the money. the real purpose for which the legislation was adopted. From what can be learned from the treasury department all of the keenest lawyers and the foxy Quillers'' who are always found blaz- ing the trail of special privilege have not been able to conjure up a. scheme that will be Q successful evasion of the law.
 The bankers of the country have joined in an attempt to pry loose the steel grip that the law as drawn by CordeIl Hull of Tennessee has upon the situation. All of the members of Congress are being showered with pe
 fitions from the bankers asking thai Congress provide a. means of .infor-
 nation at the source'' instead of "col- lection at the source" The banks which enjoy the privilege of using Uncle Sam's currency, and draw two per cent. on the bonds back of the currency at the same time, also ask that in case the law is not speedily amended, the government shall make an annual appropriation to reimburse the banks for the extra expense they are subjected to in complying With the law.
 The law applies to married persons having incomes of over $4,0OO, 2 nd un-. married persons with incomes Of over
 $3,0oO From the trend of the petitions
 filed by the banks, one would gather that every community has an army
 of people with incomes so large as to place them within the pale of the new law.
 There are 425Oo0 incomes (estimateD Of over $3,0oO in the United States. There are 30,o00 national and state
 banks in the country, according to the statement of the office of the control AL v1,s
 on an average Of 14 and IS incomes
 for each bank to figure and report if
 they were equally divided Of course
 many of the big city banks will get more than their pro rata share. but if the money of the country is cen tered in some banks to such. an extent that extra clerks are needed there
 must be hundreds of small banks in the country who would like to have a
 customer with a s3,0O0 or $4,0oO in come. After the Spanish American war when all bank cheeks were carrying two cent revenue stamp no one heard | Of the banks asking for an approprfay- l. ton to reimburse them for seeing that the checks bore the government stamp. but in the minds of many pa triotic people they would have had just as much right to do so Nrr.-Hull, who drafted the income tax bill, says that he would be willing to change the law if the bankers will provide some thing just as effective. The critics of
 the income tax measure study it for several days looking for a loop hole
 through which they may escape and after failing to do so lay it down and
 say that no one can understand the law, that it is labyrinth of wordl
 that mean nothing and lead you not where But the answer of the sup porters of the measure IS that the law
 is in force, and the money is coming in to the government -ven though it is Chinese puzzle in the estimau ton
 of those who do not like the measure.
 It is not believed that the adminis- tration is going to permit the taking down of the bars in connection witt the law, for even though ttcollection at the aource'I Is burdensome to the banks. it results in the money comine in while "informatien at the source would only perform half the function ACol1ection at the source brings the information correctly as 1t is Agurei in dollars and cents, while tinfornla ton at the source would not be liable to be based on specific facts in cases if 1t were not accompanied with a check for an amount that would back Hp the information.
 l There are probably some bankers iu the country who feel proud Of t1s trust imposed in them to collect the lax ,and after the others have per formed the duty a few times they " tll probably stop their squfrming and aI rreciate the high place they occupy in American citizenship.