Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1917-12-28
INCOME TAX COLLECTOR
WILL VISIT OROFTNO.

Here is an article sent the Repub
Iican from Revenue Collector w. G.
Whaley of Helena. Montana, which
will be OF vital interest to every
reader of this paper. II you want to
know how much your income tax Is
to be read this article;
Helena, Montana, Dec. 1S.-You
won't have TO figure out your own
income tax all by yourself hereafter.
The Government is going to send out
men to help you. 1t will be up to
you to hunt up these men who VIII
be sent into every county seat town,
meet the people. Postmasters, bank
ers and newspapers will be able to
tell you when the governments in
come tax man will be around, and
where to find him. He viii answer
your questions, swear you to the re-
turn. take your money, and remove
the wrinkles from your brow. Re-
turns of incomes for 1917 must be
made between Janu airy | and Marcn
i, 1918.
THE Government recognizes, says
Collector of Internal Revenue w. G.
Nhaley, that many persons exper-
fence good deal of trouble and diff
ficulty in filing out income tax forms
and recognizes also that taxpayers
resident at points where collectors
Offices are not easily accessible find
1t hard to get proper instruction in
the law. Next year, when every
married person living with wife or
husband and having a net income of
$4,000, and every unmarried person
not the head of family and having
a net income of $1,000 for the year
1917, must make return of income on
the form prescribed. there will be
hundreds in very community seeking
light on the law, and help in execut-
ing their returns. My own and ev-
cry other collection district in the
nation will be divided into districts,
with the county as the unit, and a
government officer informed in the
income tax assigned to each district.
He will spend hardly less than week
in each county, and in some counties
longer time. very likely in the court
house at the county seat town. In
the cities where there are collectors
branch offices, he will be there, and
in other cities possibly at the city
hall. My office will in due time avise
postmasters and bankers end send no
tees to the newspapers stating when
the officer will be in each county.
1t will be unnecessary for prospective
taxpayers to ask my Office for forms
on which to make returns, for the Of
ficers who visit their county will
have them.
1T may be stated" says Mr.. Whal-
ey, that the net income is the re-
mainder after extracting expense
from gross income. Personal, family
or living expense is not expense in
the meaning of the law, the exemp-
tion being allowed to cover such ex-
pense."
The new exemptions of $1,000 and
$4,000 will add tens of thousands to
the number of income taxpayers in
this district, inasmuch as practically
every farmer, merchant, tradesman,
professional man and salary worker
and a great many. wage workers will
be required to make return and pay
tax.
The law makes it the duty of the
taxpayer to seek out the collector
Many people assume that If an in
come tax form is not sent, or a gov
eminent officer does not call, they are
relieved from making report This
is decidedly in error. 1t is the Other
way round. The taxpayer has to &C
to the government and if he doesn't
within the time prescribed, he is g
violator of the law, and the Govern.
mert will go to him with it's penal
ties.