The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-08-08
LUXURIES TAXED.
Revenue Bill Covers Wide Range.
More Money to Come.

Revenue Dill lovers WHO 1se~hSO'
More Money to Come.
Washington, Aug. "a 10 per
cent. tax on retail sales of wide
variety of commonly classified luxu-
ries, from jewelry to meerschaum
pipes and from smoking jackets to
silken hosiery will be recommended
to the full house ways and means
committee Monday as to the result
of today's deliberations of the sub
committee on luxuries. The semi
luxuries, goods which are in the class
where it is difficult to distinguish
between the real necessity and the
real luxury, such as clothing, will be
left to a more searching inquiry.
A general revision of the whole
ss,00O,O00,O0O bill being drafted by
the committee will begin Monday
to determine where increases may be
made to make up the present defici-
ency of a billion and more in the
estimated revenue from excess prof;
its and income as so far tentatively
agreed upon. Also some doubt is ex-
pressed whether the luxury schedule
can be made to produce all of the
$4,000, 100000 allotted to it.
eve have been considering the So
called luxuries schedule" said Chair
man Hull of the ways and means
subcommittee on luxuries after to-
days session. "This concerns a va
riety of questions and articles. The
English and French luxury tax is
based on two schedules of articles,
first articles that are luxuries by
reason of their nature, such as jew
elry, precious stones, goods mounted
with precious metals and so on; and
second, articles deemed luxuries by
reason of the price paid for them, as,
for instance, SIS paid for a suit of
clothes, instead of $40, where the
tax would rest on the excess over
$40. This plan would extend
through wearing apparel generally
on different bases worked out &C
eording to trade conditions
The subcommittee today in its
search for taxable luxuries consider
ed all forms of jewelry, silk under
wear, curios and antiques, liveries,
art, except where sold by the artists
themselves, tapestry, hunting gar
ments, ladies driving habits, license
tax on riding academies, cut glass,
opera glasses, meershaum and amber
pipes, cigar holders and humidors,
smoking jackets and lounging robes,
furs, but not those merely an Incl
dental part of other clothing, orna-
mental lamps, umbrellas, parasols
and canes when mounted in precious
metals and stones, and like articles.
When the action is not final, 10
per cent. tax on practically all of
these things was agreed upon for
ratification by the full committee.
The tax will be put on the retailer
selling to the customer, the retailer
being expected to charge enough to
cover the tax.
The committee in it's Investigation
OF taxable luxuries today is under
stood to have considered also prices
on hotel rooms and meals, and hotel
price lists were scrutinized and ef-
forts made to establish definitions
separating the expensive from the
necessary.
War profits tax additional to the
excess profits and corporation taxes
and the alternative plan to apply
either the excess profits or war
profits plan according to which
would yield the most revenue from
each concern, Will De again DeIOre
the full committee next week. Presi-
dent Wilson let it be known inform
ally today that he favored war
profits tax in the pending bill but
members of the committee say the
president has not communicated with
them on the subject.
Representative Moore, one of the
ranking Republicans on the commit
tee expressed this view tonight:
'sThe higher and larger incomes
and probably the excess profits could
stand little more than is now con-
templated in the pending bill"
ChorloSfon fn ho Great PORT