Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-14
Washington, Aug. Ia.

WHILE we are talking taxes and other.
w wise showing our patriotism in con.
nection with the war it is interesting to
note the treasury reports with respect to
incomes
AS is k known. the bulk of the income taxes
falls upon four States-Pcnn. ylvania. New
York Mtssa chusetts and Illinois. Statistics
recently prepared by one of the mathemat-
ical sharps of Washington show that of
the aggregate internal revenue collections
for 1918 the New England States paid per
capita over S43; the Middle Atlantic States,
including New York, New Jersey and
Pennsylvania over $40, and the five North
ern States of Ohio, Indiana. Illinois. Mich.
igan and Wisconsin, over S4i. The average
for these fourteen States per capita was
appro xima tey $53 All of the other thirty
four States. including Alaska and hawaii
contributed per capita over S11. But
these figures showing where the burden
Of taxes falls. pale into insigniticance com
pared with the showing of occupations,
How do you account for the fact that
only a little over / per cent of all the
| Clergymen in the United states filed an
| income tax return? There were more than
| 11SO 900 of them according to the census
| 1916. 1871 of them filed income tax re-
| turns in 1916 Was it due to small incomes
or to oversight? Editors, reporters ana
authors, who have a great deal to say
| about taxes numbered 3s.750 in 1910. In
1910 1871 Of them filed income tax re-
| turns. a little over 6f2 per cent only
| ~ per cent of the lawyers of the United
| States made income tax returns, and less
| than | per cent of the actors, singers and
| musicians and Yet we hear great deal
| about enormous incomes when we speak
of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford ana
Dr. gas Fairbanks. Do these returns
poSlpd that the great mass Of actors,
singers and musicians earned less than
$4,000 per annum in 1916? That would
seem to be the answer to this remarkable
showing of the Treasury Departments
We know that manufacturers, corpora
tons and big interests everywhere are
heavily taxed. What about the farmer:
The Treasury reports that there were over
5000, 900 farmers in the United States II
1910. and yet only l4.407 made income tan
returns for 1916. That is less than one
quarter of | per cent Of the total mum
Der of farmers in the country. Did so few
of the farmers make less rlan $4,000 pei
annum. which was then the exemption, o
is the Treasury Department failing to Sc
cure adequate returns?
While this query is being put an appea
comes in from Minneapolis In favor o
$3.50 wheat at Chicago. This the Min
neapois brethren say. would increase tn
raw material cost of a barrel of flour S
over present figures AS we are now usin
about barrel of flour year per capita
the increase to a wage-earner with fan
lily of four would mount to s. "a veal
or less than a cent and a quarter day
There is no reason why the cutters shoul
run with blood if this advance is made.
And then the friend of the farmer, for
getting the patriotic side of the questio
for moment, adds E"Unless an assul
ance of $3.50 is given, will there not b
great reluctance on the part of the viii
ter wheat grower to take chance on pu
ting in a larro crop of wheat that migl
decline in selling value to point ia
below cost of production"
; We are all striving to do our part
win this war, but few of us apparent
are paying the taxes.