The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-10-04
WAR TAXES MT
LIVING AND DEAD
NEW LAW TO TAX EVERYTHING
A MAN HAS, DOES, SEES OR
THINKS, WITH NO ESCAPE
BEGINS At CRADLE AND ENDS At GRAVE
Official Estimates OF Possible Revenue
Are Two And One-Haif Billion
Dollars

Dollars
The new war tax levy will be a law
in a few days, and for the benefit Of
our readers we give the following &C
count of it as issued by the Associ-
ated Press. The leaders in charge of
the bill are determined that it shall
not be amended or changed in any
way:
The $2,70O, 900, 900 war tax bill
which is up for final action in the
house catches" almost everybody
from the cradle to the grave and, for
good measure, levies a few new taxes
on the heirs. Baby's first dash Of tai
cum powder will under the two per
cent manufacturers tax on cosmetics
help Uncle Sam carry on the war and
after death the federal collectors will
be on hand to get the inheritance tax,
an advance of the present rate of
from one per CEN on $4,000 to ten
per cent on 81, 0 900. Between birth
and death most of mans activities
would be taxed, voting a proxy at a
meeting of a cemetery association be
ing n of the few specifically ex-
empted.
Those who have proited most by
the war, the recipients of enormous
excess wal profits, will pay the most
to help carry it on. Almost half the
total amount Of the bill, or about ST.
110, 600, 900, is to be collected from
them.
Letters ant Cards Hit
The person who writes a postal
card will be caught, for cards will sell
for two cents each by the provisions
of the bill. Letters will be three cents.
One will be taxed when he goes to a
moving picture show, if the admission
is over five cents, one-tenth of the
cost of the ticket. The rate will at
feet all who attend amusements, from
the man in the gallery to the one in
the box. A host of stamp taxes de
signed to raise $4,000, 900 also will
many ways. His greatest consolation
is that the consumption taxes which
would have made him pay on coffee,
tea and sugar were stricken from the
bill. The men of moderate means as
well as the wealthy are affected by
the income tax section. Normal rates
have been doubled and exemptions
lowered to $1,000 for single persons
and $4,000 for married ones. Sur
taxes for incomes above $4,000 range
from M to fifty per cent, the maxi
mum applying to incomes over 81, 900.
900. This section is expected t 0 raise
$500, 900, 900.
Included in the taxes imposed on
the manufacturers are levies of one.
quarter OF a cent a foot on motion
picture films; two per cent on the sale
price of chewing gum and three per
cent on automobiles, musical instru.
ments and jewelry.
Checks Are Exempted
Some confusion and misinterpreta'
ton has arisen out of the wording OF
the section imposing stamp taxes on
negotiable instruments which has been
misconstrued to mean that a tax has
been placed on bank checks.
The bill says:
than at sight or on sight" etc. two
cents for each 800. The official in.
depreciation of this section is that as
a check is payable at sight and on
demand it therefore is excluded from
tax.
No Possible Escape
Even drowning ones troubles in
drink, or sending them up in smoke
will cost more for the levies on all
kinds of drink and tobacco soar. The
new rate on whisky is $40 per gal.
Ion and beer $3.50 a barrel. Wine
taxes will be doubled and even grape
juice will be taxed a cent a gallon.
A person cannot escape taxes by
travel. Eight per cen is assessed on
passenger tickels and summer tickets
also pay a tax.
The conference report provides that
the graduate tax of from 20 to 60 pei
cen on excess profits of corporations,
partnerships and individuals shall be
levied on a basis of invested capital
compared with invested capital of the
three pre-war years of 1911, 1912 and
1913. This Is a substitute for the sen
ate taxes of from IL to go per cent
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