Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-13
SEASON TICKETS
FREE OF WAR TAX
That Is, if You Bought
Them Prior to November
/, New Ruling
PAID IT? GET A REFUND
Movie Theatres Permitted to Pay
Levy for Patrons if They
SO Desire

pleasant little surprise has descended
upon persons who purchased. previous to
November /. season tickets for the opera
and other entertainments which are yet
TO be performed They were told that they
would he obliged to pay n war revenue tax
Of 10 per cent of the value of the tickets,
hut the Government has now decided that
the tax will not he collected from them
Thoac who paid cash for their tickets may
get the tax refunded
The new ruling comes from the Commits
Sioncr Of Internal Revenue, Daniel I. Roper'
at Washington. to collector Of Internal lteN-
enuc Lcdcrer. in charge of the Philadelphia
district. The premature collection OF thS
tax was due 1t is said. to the fact that the
war revenue bill was only passed in October
and went into effect before the Government
officials had time to interpret all It's de-
tails.
John Jones. who bought a theatre ticket
for himself and his hest girl previous 10
November for performance which was
to take place after November ! Is the
fall guy" according To- the new ruling
lie had to pay forty cents extra as war
tax If the seats cost him 81 HIS iorF
cents will in all probability stay in the
Governments hands, even though the Gov
crnmcnt doesn't want II any more. The
theatre management cannot keep it. as II
Is held responsible for the collection OF
the tax. John Jones could get his forty
cents back If he could prove that he bought
the tickets before November /. But even
II he has happened TO keep his seat checks
there would be nothing to show that he
bought the seats before the day of the
performance
MAY GO TO RED CROSS
Thousands Of dollars have accrued to the
Government IN this way from the sale of
theatre tickets in Philadelphia. what will
be done with the money? In all probability
II will he turned over TO the Red Cross or
some other patr5tic work. II IL not likely
that any American citizen will hegrudge
the few pennies the Government unwitingly
| collected from him in this way
The "iuckirSt" individuals in Philadelphia
who are affected by the new ruling are the
subscribers to season tickets at the Metro
| politun Opera House. Sixteen performances
| of grand opera are to be given there this
| season, beginning November 20, and the
| season tickets were placed on sale before
October 20. II the opera house is filed to
| capacity at all sixteen performances and
| If all the seats had been paid for befors
| November !. the amount Of war tax return
| able to the operaEocrs would be close to
| S2O. .000. But Manager Hogerlc says that II
| Is impossible to estimate at this time what
| share of the subscriptions were paid for in
| cash, with the war tax added, y person
| who paid Sss for one Of &c s. orchestra
| seats for the season before November Will
| get his IS war tax back.
Those who merely subscribed to season
tickets at the opera without making ad.
vance payments and to whom bills are yet
/ to be sent will not now find the war tax
! included in their bills. unless they dated
| their subscription after November !.
| large amount of extra bookkeeping Is made
necessary by the new ruling of the Internal
! Revenue Bureau, to return to ticket holders
who paid cash before November | the
| amount of their war tax. Seats for single
| performances will not go on sale till Novem.
ber 20. so the new ruling does not exempt
| theSr purchasers from the war tax
Subscribers to the Philadelnhia Orches-
| tras season had taken virtually every seat
| In the house except the gallery seats, which
| are sold only on the night Of a performance.
early this spring No war taS was coll
| lccted from them. SO no extra bookkeeping
will now be necessary on the part OF the
management TO refund the war taxes. The
| orchestra VII give more than 100 per-
| formanccS during the present season. ana
! the amount of war taxes from them. had
! all the tickets been purchased after Novem'
| her I would have been from 10000 to
$4,000. according 10 Arthur JudSon. man
ascr of the orchestra
ANYBODY NEED &c"
Tickets were sold at the boxonce a week
IN advance of the Friday and Saturday
performances during the week. which In
cludcd November /. but as these We're main
ly for twenty-five cent and ffty-Ccnt tickets.
the war tax on each ticket was only three
or bvo cents, and the entire amount re-
turnahle would be only $50 As In the
case Of purchasers of seats for theatrical
performances, ii is not thought likely that
any o . ,vNl t"ls" tNn t"o.ihle 80 ak Cor the
return of his three cents or his nickel.
The new ruling does not apply to the
performances of the Philadelphia Choral
Society, whose tickets. for the first per-
formance Of the season on December IS,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS