The Washington times., 1915-08-27
TAXES ON TOBACCO,
LIQUOR AND SPIRITS
+ ALL $25,0OO,0OO
But Total Internal Revenue Re-
ceipts For Last Fiscal Year
Largest in History.

Although internal revenue receipts
for the last fiscal year were the
greatest in the history OF the Gov
eminent. s35.sso.9s2 larger than the
preceding year. taxes on distilled
spirits, tobacco and ferrented liquor
fell off more than S25OOo.oOO from the
1914 total. the most conclusive evil
tion's drink bill.
Increasing use of the cigarette is
shown by the internal revenue fig
ures. While the total tax collected
from tobacco was $29.266 lower than
last year. the reduction was alto
gether in cigars. There was an in
crease of s413.512 in the amount oc
tax collected on cigarettes.
Summarizing the collections of in
ternal revenue from all sources COR
Commissioner w. II. Osborn makes
the following showing:
Summary of Collections.
Ordinary collections in 1915 were
$335.479.1s1.50. as against $30s.627.-
619.22 in 1914. an increase of $26,S51,-
562.28.
Income tax collections were sS0.l90.-
694.S0 in 1915 and $71.3s1.274 in 1914,
an increase Of 09.42O.s0.
Aggregate, collections were $415,669.-
$3.50 in 1915 and $3.50, 1886 in
| 1914, an increase Of $35, 6O,98296
The so-called war taxes permitted the
Government to make this showing for
the the, year, ar, otherwise na, collections would
emergency revenue collected under the
act Of October %. 1914, aggregated $52.-
O6S 1859. These collections were made
up as follows:
Emergency Revenue.
Wines. champagne, liquors. cordials.
etc. 2.3o7.301: grape brandy. sl3s,3S3
fermented liquors, additional tax, s1s,-
1859; tax on tobacco. cigars, and ciga-
rettes. s2,4s6,616; special tax, including
bankers. brokers. etc, A.967.17s: docu-
mentary stamps. 2O4s4.474; tax on per-
fumery. cosmetics. etc, s2,96l, 400.
ts1 Tor the
revenue, as compared with collections
for the fiscal year 1914 show de-
crease in receipts from the following
principal sources:
Distilled spirits, s16,s24.1s3; tobacco.
$2.515,SS2: fermented liquor $6,466,245,
a total decrease or $25,S06,291.
Less Taxes From Whisky.
Internal revenue officials could not
make an estimate Of the reduction in
the consumption Of whisky and beer
as evidenced BY the reduction of ap-
proximately S23,000.000 in the taxes
paid by distillers. brewers, wholesalers.
land retailers.
The decline in taxes paid by dealers
showed that there was "A great reduc-
|, a
liquor>houses and retail bars. but the
number driven out Of business by the
spread of the dry. wave could not be
estimated, as the bureau deals in fig
ures and not numb%s.
: Income Tax Collections.
An interesting feature Of Commits
sioner Osborn's report deals with the
2 income tax collections in groups. The
: total income tax collections from corpo-
rations was $39.l44.529, and from indl-
viduals. 34l. .046.l65. This individual tax
was made up Of Sl6,5 .oss in normal tax
and the remainder from those charged
additional ssd ndd tax on inc incomes exceeding es
comes from $aO, to $4,000 a year 81
Oss. .073 was collected: $4,000 to $4,000
incomes. $2496. .496: $4,000 to 500. 900 in
comes sosssss 81 slo@o?o @Ss to .soo sSSo0ot :S
{ | comes. 8 .32S, ,423: incomes exceeding $500.
900 brought In $6,43s,o
New York Foremost.
New York. with s27.OOOOOO had a loni
>. lead over the other States. Pennsyl
, vania was second with S9.oC0.oOo; I'LL
~ nois third. with s5.OOOoOO. and Obi
!. fourth. with 100000. The District o
a Columbia paid sl34.767 in corporation
~ and sS1S.673 in individual tax.
The State of New York also led II
r. the aggregate income tax collection
l. with SIC, ,0O0 as against 900 TO
- Illinois, $37. 900, 900 for Pennsylvania. $3S.
;, 10000 for Kentucky. and s27.oOo.o00 70
Ohio. The fifth Illinois district had tn
m largest collections for single district
ls S26. 900 O0O the first Illinois second wit
,f l9,OoOOOG, and the fifth Kentucky Wa
third, with slSOO,0Oo. These are big dis
w tilling districts. The second New ior
m district collected sl600.U0O III one sun
re- district and $40 900, 900 in another. Thi
Id is the big financial district whose col
ss lections are swollen by income tax pay
n ments.