The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-03-28
SIMPK|NS PAYS
HIS INCOME TAX
BY ROBERT McBlAlR.

MT. ~Slillnklns EaZcu ut the portrait
on the wall till his eyes filed with
teurs. II was n portrait of his father,
Colonel Simpklns. who had four times
been promoted for yalor dt.ing the
civil War and had died brnvely on the
field of action. Mr.. Sinpkins' thron,
aclcd now for two reasons: First, he
revercnced and adored The memory OF
his father; secondly, his age and his
eyes and his game leg wouldn't let him
go to var himself. And MS he observed
the martial bearing and uncompromls-
Ing gaze Of Colonel S~lmpkins he saw,
In Imagination, the khaki.clad lads OF
the new generation marching forth and
crossing three thousand miles OF sea to
fight, maybe die. for liberty.
Mr.. Simpkins peered around to make
sure that neither Bess o John twho
were Mt the teasing ages Of sixteen
and seventeen) were where they could
see him. then he Strengthened AMI
threw his right arm up for a salute.
But his equity shoulder twinged. and he
%groancd. lie couldn't even salute.
Damn :" said Mr.. S%iInpkins, and
with his other hand fiercely twlrled his
white mustachios.
He turned and limped into the "
brnry and sat down crcakily before the
mahogany desk on which were lying
! the blanks for his income Tux state
mrnt. blanks which he had rather
| rruinpi|y got from the Internal Reve-
nue. officer only that day after lunch
con on his way home from the club.
Mr.. Simpkins' income for 1917 had
amounted to Just about $4,000, and he
had been rather snappy on the sub
jcct of taxes ever since he had d!Scov-
cred that the more income a man has
the greater the percentage OF II he
pays In taxes. He could think Of sev
eral men who, like himself, were mar
ried and had two children, and yet.
although their incomes were nearly
half Of his. they would pay only a
small fraction Of the amount he paid.
He gloomily drew the blank nearer
and began filling In the Information
that II asked for.
As Mr.. Simpkins' income was S15.0OO
ne had To figure out the amounts pay
| able on each Of the successive smaller
| classes of incomes In order to arrive
al the total due from himself. He
passed over the first class who must
pay taxes that il, single me- making
over 1000. His calculation FOR mar
ried men thcn showed up as follows:
First, they pay . per cent. (under
the 1916 law) on all income over
$1,000. deducting 5000 for each ~ their
children under eighteen years. In Mr..
Simpkins' case this was S2ia, which he
put down In the payable column.
He saw next that, under the 1917
law, married men pay nm additional 2
per cent. on all over S2,OOO-with the
same allowance for children. This
added S252 to his payable" column.
He thcn observed that for every
1880 jump In his income over 5000
he had to pay n Surtax, the percentage
growing larger with each jump. This
was $50 more added to his burden.
And on top of all this came an "Ex.
cess Profits" tax Of = per cen or all
Occupation" income owe $4,000. max
Ing 500 more.
The total. then, he must pay was four.
teen hundred and thlrty.four dollars.
"Whew !" exclaimed Mr.. Slmpkins
angrily. There's young Henry vii.
klns, who married Jake Johnson's girl,
he nm kes 5000 and he doesn't pay a
cent OF axes | guess this Is his wal
as we'll ms mine"
Thinking Of young Henry wilkins
he remembered that Mrs. wilkins went
every afternoon TO mike b~nndages for
the Red Cross and that Henry, who
was n lawyer. vas aiding the Local
Draft Board with Its q~uostionnaIres.
"Well," he admitted to himself
"thnt makes n difference"
He thought next NJ Judge willough
by. whose income was about 5000.
"He only pays 500" corsmented Mr.
SlmpkIns, not quite SO angrily This
time; and then n thought struck hin
and he sat up rlgidly In his chair,
Judge Wi'loughby's son had beer
drowned on the Tuscania when Il wal
summarized with the loss of two hun