Weekly journal-miner., 1917-05-30
THIS TELLS HOW WAR TAX HITS
 AVERAGE MAN
"SCATT-GATHERER" WILL BE A-PURSUING OF US FROM MORN TO NIGHT; SOME THINGS IT WILL COST SSS TO HAVE.
(From Fridays Daily.)

and amusement, and even after he seeks his humble couch, Average Man is going to find himself hourly pur-
 sued by Uncle Sam's tax gathercr,
 under the new war bill in congress, with the monotonous reiteration Of
 come across"
 It will seem to Mir Man that the
 universe is one big, outstretched hand,
 with prShensible fingers, dipping into his pockets every time he turns around. It is fact If the pro posed rates of war taxes go into ef feet, he will have to give up "all along the line"
 And moreover, his assessment will
 not be limited to the basic rates oi
 the bill. That is just the starting
 point: the levy branches out from there, for it is a certainty that the
 numerous middlcmen will get theirs
 along with the tribute that is Cae-
 sar's, and that the percentage tax
 provided for Uncle Sam will, by the
 time the consumer finally pays, have increased materially.
 Taxation will start early. When he
 toddles into the bathroom to brush
 his teeth, it's "5 per cent, please on his tooth paste When he plops into
 his bath tub it's per cent on the bath
 soap and another , per cent on his shaving stick As he dresses he will be taxed variously on any articles of imported apparel he dons and when
 he sits down to lace his shoes Inc groans at the thought that leather, already high, will be subject to 10 per cent customs duty on imported hides.
 His morning coffee is taxed 10 per cent ad valorem, customs duty and l cent a pound in addition as a con- sumption tax. His sugar will be taxed 10 per cent additional to the present rates. Bear in mind that all thcsa rates are but Uncle Sam's portion and nobody knows what the middlemen will tack on as their "rake off"
 He lights his cigarette while pro cccding to his jitney, realizing that there are additional taxes on the cig- arctic, according to weight. His au- tomobile, if he buys it after the law goes into effect, has been taxed , per cent on the cost price at the factory. His gasoline has not been taxed; the Standard Oil Company didn't get hit but who knows, maybe gasoline will be included before the bill goes to the president for his signature.
 Arriving at the office Mir. Average Man-who already has paid consid- 1 erablc towards the conduct of the war-fnds a pile of bills. There IS per cent tax on his telephone bill, his electric light bill and his electric power bill. Also a notice that his in come tax is to be more than doubled | and that the little legacy left him by Uncle William will have to pay in.
 When he mails checks for these bills his postage has increased to cents. He takes a piece of chewing pum while he reads his mail and that has paid 5 per cent. The express package to the boys in the training camp involves a tax of 10 per cent of the carriers rate and the box he IS sending by freight pays 5 per cent.
 He sends telegram to his GUS toner in a nearby town saying he will come over on the next train-S cents tax on that. When he goes he pays a tax of 10 per cent of the price of the railway ticket. Phoning back to the office for some additional figures, he nays a tax of ; cents on the message. He admires his billboard advertising, but groans at the thought that he IS taxed 5 per cent on that and then 1t ,ccurs to him that if Inc advcrtises in the newspapers he doesn't pay any war tax.
 If he takes out an accident insur- ancc policy the tax is cent on the dollar of premium, and the same on new fire insurances. If it is new life insurance, it is s cents on the SlOO of policy. but nothing for renewals. At the station soda fountain while waiting for his return train, he IS .axed ? cents a gallon for his "sott lrinks." t
 Back in his office again Mr. Man ', inds that he is taxed on all kinds ot l egal instruments; powers of attorney ( ,romissory notes, surety bonds, etc Ie is taxed on capital stock issues, tock sales, sales on the produce ex- hange, conveyances of real estate and ', II that kind of thing. q
 Out at the golf club, then, as he Q