Evening star., 1917-01-10
LAWMAKERS SEEK
OBJECTS TO TAX
Ways and Means Committee
Starts Hunt for Revenue to
Meet Treasury Deficit.
SOME SOURCES PROPOSED

Anything to tax; any rags
bones or old iron?"
If one were disposed to treat flip
PANTY presently serious question.
such would be the imaginary refrain
attributed to the ways and means
committee of Congress in it's quest for
objects of federal taxation to meet the
inevitable deficit in government reve-
nues. occasioned by an excess of ex-
penditures over income
With the ordinary income tax doubled.
all usual internal revenue taxes in
force, as well as many special taxes,
the plain citizen may think he is being
levied upon pretty heavily. as it is, but
he has another think coming. as the
committee on ways and means and Sec
retary of the Treasury McAdoo soon
will show him.
Mr.. McAdoo Offers Suggestions.
The committee recently presented
several subjects of possible taxation to
the Secretary and asked him how much
money they would yield. 1t fell out
that these proposals did not meet with
the Secretary's approval. and he, in
eral other lines which might be worked
with profit.
At the outset the administration has
rejected the proposal of Mr. Garner of
Texas. democratic member of the
committee, to solve the problem with
one stroke by increasing by 5 per cent
all existing import duties and putting
duty OF 10 per cent on all articles
now on the free list. Mr.. Garner thinks
~
the democratic principle of tariff for
revenue only" But the administration
detects flavor of protective tariff in
the plan and shies at it like a horse
smiling bear in the canebrake.
Some of the Sources Proposed.
Secretary McAdoo's counter proposals
take wide range of suggested internal
taxation. some of them bearing upon
subjects never before contemplated as
furnishing prey for the excise man.
Here are some of them, with the ap-
proximated amounts of revenue to be
raised:
tax of 5 per cent on business profits
in excess of a dividend yield of per
cent. $500. .00o.0 900: restoration of the
abandoned stamp taxes. $4s,o0o.0o0; in
crease on Inheritance taxes $22, ,00o, 600:
increase Of is cents a gallon on
whisky, $5o.ooo.oo0. and increase Of rs
cents barrel on beer. 14,500,000.
On soft drinks" and mineral waters,
cents a gallon, $42,000,o00; additional
taxes on cigars and tobacco. $4,000. .006;
tax of 81 per horsepower on in
biles), $30,o0o00o. and tax on oleo-
margarine, cents a pound, $4,000, 900.
An output tax on petroleum, copper,
aluminium and pigiron. by the pound,
picture reels. $4,000. 900; glucose, / cent
pound. $15.000,000, and Advertising
billboards and street car cards, $2,-
100000.
On candy. 10 per cent. 100000:
phonograph records. 1 cent on the dol
lar value, $50.000.0o0, these all to be
in the nature of excise dues or inter-
nal revenue taxes.
Import Duties on Coffee and Tea.
Then. the Secretary suggested, it
might be appropriate. on the score of
tariff for revenue only, to put an i'm
port duty of cents a pound on coffee,
to raise S30.00O.000; 10 cents a pound
on tea. to produce $4,000. 900. 900; 10 per
cent on cocoa. s3.O00.0OO 10 per cent
on crude rubber. $4,000. 900, and 10
per cent on raw silk. s12.000.O00
These commodities are not products
of the United States, and therefore
there could be no possible suggestion
of protective tariff in such duties
He also suggested 10 per cent duty
on raw wool TO raise s11, 100000; 10
per cent on manufactured wool and
per cent on cotton manufactures as
well as 10 per cent on cotton bagging
AS the United States engages in these
productions and manufactures the
duties would come under the head of
tariff for revenue only" the same
argument applying to a 10 per cent
duty on lumber and 10 per cent on cop
per. the two items to bring in
s4,0O0,0O0.
An import duty of 10 per cent on
bananas is estimated to yield $4,000, 900