The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-12-21
INCOME TAX.

/
One of the new sources of income
for the government provided for by
congress and growing out of the exin-
gencies of the war, which requires
heroic measures raising funds to meet
the enormous cost of modern warfare,
is the income tax, and less seems to be
known as to the method of collection
and payment than any tax levy
which comes directly out of the pock-
ct of the individual citizen. This tax,
the income tax for 1917, is due and
payable January 1. 1915 The govern
ment grants a leaway to March l.,
1918, for the liquidation of this i'm
post. Returns must beymade upon all
incomes of $1,000 and over. The gov
ernment expects the fitizen to seek
out the official to whom his tax is to
be paid by personal application, or by
post. make his returns and pay the
amount of his tax. The man who has
an income within thes taxable limit
cannot dodge his responsibility. He
pays on the nail, at his own volition,
or some one clothed with the proper
authority pounces upon him at the ex-
ptration OF the time limit, and the de-
l.nG'lent is not only compelled to pa
the tax. but heavy penalty for his
delinquency. 1t J. j'st;as well to meet
the touch promptly and cheerfully for
il must be paid anyhow, and by
promptness one escapes all the trim
mings. The following Information up
on the subject may be of interest to
readers of this paper and especially
tc those who are sosfortunate as 10
draw down incomes IL excess of one
thousand dollars:
The government recognizes," Col
lector of Internal Revenue david :!
Williams, said, that many persons en-
erience a good deal of difficulty in
filing out income tax forms. 1t re cog
Dizes, too, that taxpayers residing at
points where collectors offices are
not easily accessible, find it hard 10
gel proper instruction. in the law. Mex:
year, when every married person liv-
ing with wife or husband and having
Il net income of $1,000 for the year
1917 must make returns of income On
the forms prescribcd. There will be
hundreds in every community seeking
hight on the subjects and help in exc
cutting their returnssMy own and el-
cry other collection district in the ma
ton will he divided into districts,
with the county as the unit, and a gov
ernment officer assigned to each dis
trict He will spent hardly less than
a week In each county and in surn'
counties a longer time, very likely IN
the court house at the county seat
town In cities, where there are CO..
lector's branch offices, he will be there
nd in other cities possibly at the city
hail My office will in due time advls 4,
postmasters and bankers and send out
lotices to the newspapers stating
when the officer will be in each coun-
ty. 1t will be unnecessary for pros
pective tax payers to ask my office for
forms on which to make returns. The
officer who visits each county will
have them.
ut may be stated as matter of gen.
eral information that met" income is
the remainder after subtracting eX-
penses from gross income Personal.
family, or living expense is not ex-
pense in the meaning of the law the
exemption being allowed to cover
such expenses.
"The reduced 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 earners will
be required to make return and pay
tax.
"The law makes it the duty of the
| tax payer to seek out the collector
Many people assume that if an income
tax form is not sent, or government
official does not call, they are relieved
| from making a report. This Is decided
| ly in error 1t is the other way round
The tax payer has to go to the govern
/ ment, and If he doesn't within the
time prescribed, he is violator of the
law, and the government will go tc
him with its penalties"