The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-10-19
NEW WAR TAX TOLL
IS NOW IN Effect
Everything from Pills to Club Dues Is
Hit By the New Emergency Measure
How It Affects Us

The war tax on the American pocket
book began Oct. 4.
Within two months the buying pub
lie will be paying over the counter,
thru ticket windows OF various kinds
and almost everywhere else the lev
les under the 50, ,535, ,OOO,0 revenue
bill, now law.
Thruout the land the high cost OF
drinking mounted with additional taxes
on hard, soft and medium beverages
effective Immediately. Automobile
owning, with tax Of 8 per cent Of the
sale prices, becomes more costly. Pills
patent medicines and chewing gum
are hit.
Sporting goods, motorboats, estates
inheritances, incomes, war profits and
other luxuries Of the wealthy are tax
able Immediately.
Smoking is also more costly, with
added taxes on tobacco, cigars and
cigarettes, ranging from 81 to 81
thousand on cigars and from 80 to S1.20
thousand on cigarettes. Even snuff
users will suffer.
On November also the tax on
freight and express packages cent
for each 30 cents charged--becomes
effective, together with 10 cent levy
on berths and staterooms in Pullman
cars.
Every telegram, telephone or wire
less message costing more than IS
cents after Nov. l will bear a cent
tax, and taxes OF cents on each 500
of life insurance and / cent on each
dollar of fire insurance also begins.
With tax on movie" and legiti-
mate theaters after November Of
cent on each 10 cents admission
charged, the cost OF looking them
over" either on the screen or in the
pony" row, promises to mount The
usual New Years outbreak will be
more expensive with a new tax on table
reservations. It will cost a total equiv
alent to 10 per cent OF the dues TO join
club after November l.
Stamp taxes on bonds, promissory
notes, bills Of sale and playing cards
become effective December /, as does
the cent tax on parcel post packages
costing 25 cents or more. The ad-
ditional l cent on letters is effective
November !.
The huge revenue to be provided by
the law may be indicated by the fact
that if it were to fall equally upon every
persen in the country the cost would
be 500 to every man. woman and child.
A new system OF graduated inheri-
tance take was put into the bill by
the conierees in lieu OF the House plan
and despite the Senate's rejectment Of
such taxes. The new rates on inheri-
tances, with those Of Americans in the
military service exempted, range from
"a per cent on $4,000 estates to 10
per cent on estates Of $10,000,000 or
more.
With few exceptions the new taxes
are effective at once. The 8 cent
postage rate for out OF town letters will
go into effect November 0. The sec
ond class postage rates will become ef-
fective next July /, and it is quite
likely that Congress before that time
will amend this provision in various
respects.
AS whole, the new law imposes
the burden Of taxation on the rich.
The poor will feel it most in the form
of numerous petty annoyances, but
their payments OF taxes will be very
small. The bulk Of the new revenue
will come from war profits. tobacco,
whiskey, beer. inheritances, incomes
freight and passenger transportation,
sales Of automobiles, admissions to
places Of amusement and first class
mail matter.
There may be several changes in
the income tax sections Of the bill in
the next session Of Congress. Much
criticism has been heard Of the 8 per
cent tax on incomes above $4,000.