Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-10-06
RICH AND POOR ALIKE SHARE
GOVERNMENT WAR TAX BURDEN
Pennies as Well as Dollars Will Flow Into Nation S
Cash BoX-LuXuries Hardest Hit by Uncle
Sans Latest Money Getter
BY WILLIAM ATHERToN pu PLY
WASHINGTON. oct 6.


OF the ,,wo aud q half billions Of dollars
that are to be paid into the Government
Treasury this year under the revenue bill
which Mr. Wilson signed late Wednesday
night how much are you. Mr.. Average
American going 70 contribute
The answer 60 this Is somewhat difficult
but few of the "dttlcs" into which you
win drop your rIctcla dimes and dollars
may be indicated
After Noyember . when YOU so 10 inc
moving picture SHOW. for instance. you VIII
pay y taN lr you buy teu-ceut ticket you
win have to cough NJ an additional pe.hy
as tax. II you 60 60 theatre Wu"'
charges as much a. twenty-five ce",s' you
will have To DIG Up three cents IN taN
nouc. The rate is one cent for each dime
or fraction thereof or course, tho pro
pgc'o. Of the theatre may tlnk II au.
,tzab1c 20 maintain h.s ten-ccnt price anu
h. ma. therefore sell you Ia" TICKET Al lu'
Ola rate, paying the .:a& himsti. hu' '"g
policy of trade Is usually the reverse ana
when ono cent iu taN Is placed on the re-
taller his price goes Up nickel There
fore YOU may be asked to pay fifteen cel's
for your ticket
HARD Of TltEATRE-GOERS
If YOU are so nronrate as 20 atte;.j
those performances where the price OF
tickets is s. q throw. you VIII nave 10 pay
an extra ueuuy Tor every dime. Your "
seat will then cost you S2.2V. But there -
a grain of consolation. If you buy your
soatg re-. o., ~ ticket SCalper and pay more
than the customary price, the pirate VIII
have TO disgorge. He must turn halt the
swag over to Uncle Sam or make hlmseh
Liable to a long term in the penitehtiary'
Likewise will that envied of the theatre
goer the dramatic critic. or anybody else
who has the courtesy Of passes extended
10 him be forced to pay hia stipend III YAK
money, Just as though he had purchased
his ticket. The only individual who Will
escape the ticket tax e. he who is 80 modest
that he is satisfied with humble enter
tainment the admission to which is five
ce,ts Such shows are immune.
The industrious dispatcher Of the modest
souvenir postal card so popular with eNcur-
sionists must hereafter pay two cents TO
send il through the mail. an outright in
crease Of 100 per cent. What Is more rev.
Dlutonary is the fact that ordinary letters.
which now bear a two-cent stamp, will have
to be graced with one of three-cent value
when November arrives. Here is ar inno-
vation that will be felt in every office and
virtually every home In the nation. Local
letters however are exempted from this
regulation and mail to be delivered in your
own town may get past with a two-cent
stamp.
REVENUE STAMP RETURNS
The revenue stamp Of Spanish American
War times will come back into being. II
will not be found on small checks, however,
as it was then, but will affect only transac-
tions Of certain kinds above 500. Every
800 bond issued, for instance, must carry
a fve-Cent stamp. So must an issue of
capital stock Such papers transfers and
bills of sale must carry stamps at the rate
OF two cents per 500. as must promissory
notes. Even stock exchange transactions
come under the ban, as do other dealings
ad ininitum.
If you buy a ticket to Santo Domingo
and it costs you $40 you must pay a tax
of 50 for the privilege of taking the trip.
II the fare is $40 yoTI must pay a $5 tax.
If you want to ride on the train without
paying tax you will have 70 get off before
it has gone forty miles. After that there ie
Il tax of eight cents for every dollar YOU
spend in thus overcoming inertia. II you
buy a Pullman berth for 81 you must pay
an additional four dimes into the Govern
ment war fund The conductor IS the tax
collector and you must give him tho money
and trust that he will dsgorge
1t seems not to be intended that any of
these taxes should be paid by the corpora
tions rendering the service Tho Interstate
Commerce Commission has hammered the
railroad fares down TO the point where they
ought to be, and TO nhlct the taxes uron
tho railroads would upset the whole balance
OF this fare adjustment So the passenger.
pays the tax direct.