Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-12-24
BRITISH SEARCH
 FOR PROPERTY
 FOR NEW TAXES
What Gan We Tax Next? Is Question of Financial Ad-
 visers of Government.

(Correspondencc of Associated Press.)
 London, Dec. 29.-What can we tax next? is the question which finan- cial advisers of the government are
 p,lzzlins over as the time draws near
 for next years budget. With the cost of the war steadily mounting, any proposal that bids fair 10 realize a few thousand pounds per year without
 iniustice to individuals and without increased cost of collection is worth careful scrutiny. The new French tax on all who buy eXtravagant meals at cafes and restaurants is being faV- orably watched from the English side of the channel. and at the same time even the smallest existing items of public revenue are being examined to see if they can be made to yield more.
 A writer in the Economist suggests q revision Of the numerous license duties. other than liquor licenses. For example. a manufacturer of wood al cohol now pays an aunal license or 10 pounds. 10 shillings, while manu-
 facturer of petrol or gasoline only pays one pound. "The number of firms involved is less than eighty says the writer. "but it is believed that they could safely stand consid- erable increase in charges. A similar increase is possible in the case of dealers in these commodities. Almost as much more could be obtained by
 increasing the licensing fees for sell
 ing patent medicines from five shill-
 ines to a, pound These licenses, moreover, are at present collected on- Drif Q: tended without great injustice to Ire land as WelE
 "It must be said" writes another tax expert, "that so small an annual
 duty as five shillings ought never to have been imposed for any purpose. The cost of collecting such sum once year is altogether out of proportion tc the revenue secured. Even the dog tax, which at the present rate Of Is Cd ($1.S5) yields nearly 73O,OO0 pounds yearly, could certainly be ln- creased without apprcciable hard ship"
 The present license fee charged for dealers in tobacco is 5s Sd per year. It is proposed to increase this to one pound, representing an increase in revenue of nearly 100000 pounds. A doubling of license fees is re- commended for real estate agents and dealers in gold and silver The former now pay from two to ten pounds, the latter from two pounds six shjlllngs to five pounds fifteen shillings. An increase of about 60,00O pounds year in the treasury's receipts could be ob- tained by these increases..
 Playing cards,- which atapresent> pay three pence pack, may be expected tc suffer an increase to perhaps SIX pence.
 Other licenses which are likely to be increased are the duties on male ser wants, on carriages and motor cars, the gun licenses and the licenses in connection with the hunting or pres ervation of game. The tax on male servants may also be supplemented by a new tax on all households em- blowing more than one female ser want. The tax on male servants at present is fifteen shillings year. A year ago the exchequer proposed the doubling of the taxes on automo- piles. but this resulted in an altogeth- CT excessive increase in the duties of the higher powered cars, and the pro- | Any new proposals which are submit ted are likely to involve more care ful revision of the scale, graduating the rates so as to prevent such anomolies as duty of forty-two pounds on car of 60 horsepower and s pounds on a car of 61 horse pow CT. Tn particular the duties on motor bicycles and small cars are likely to be radically raised, as it is claimed that these are the vehicles which are now uselessly consuming gasoline.
 One of the more radical proposals for new taxation is that put fol ward few days ago by Professor A. C.. Pigou of Kings College, Cambridge university. He urges that all persons who have, been granted exemption from military service shall be subject to a special war tax, and that this tax shall be levied not merely on men of military age hut on all Stay-at-