The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-04-11
HEAVY FINES FOR GUILTY
Hundreds of Kenoshans Are Liable tS
These Fines Now - Lists Being
Searched to Force Them to Pay in
Fines hat They Evaded in Taxes.

The man who failed to make a return
OF his income to the federal govern
ment is in bad Four representatives
of the Federal Internal Revenue De-
partment came to Kenosha on Tuesday
afternoon and started work to round
up the income tax slackers. They have
instruction to report to the collector of
the District the names of every man or
woman In Kenosha earning an income
subject to tax who has not reported
that income. Heavy fines are to be as
| sessed against every one of the de-
linquents and it is probable that the
government will now collect from
fhcse people in fines a lot more money
than they would have paid if they had
filed the returns of their incomes.
1t is claimed that there are hundreds
and possibly thousands of the slackers
| III Kenosha. The revenue men are be-
ginning the work today of checking up
lists of employers This includes not
only factories but also individuals and
small corporations and by the end of
the week these men will have long
lists of men who thought that they
were clever enough to avoid 4he pay
| ment OF the tax to TIcle Sam. Tie
]. law provides that setEsns be made
by every single man who earns in ex-
cess of a thousand dollars year and
by every married man who earns more
than $4,000 year. The return must
be made whether the man earning the
income is subject to taxation or not
and the fact that man has exemp-
tions which will render him immune
from paying the tax will not help him
a bit in escaping payment of the fine.
A year ago under a modified income
tax law scores Of Kenosha men were
forced to pay fines for not making re-
turns. It is expected that these
scores will be increased to hundreds in
Kenosba this year. The amount Of
the fine viii be in keeping with the
gravity of the offense. The payment
of the fine does not in any way re-
ieve the, delinquents for the payment
of the tax and after the fine is paid
they will have the tax plus the penalty
which is provided by the government.
The Federal officers had names Of
hunareds Of people on Tuesday and
it is expected that the list will be
greatly extended by Investigations
which are now under way. IF the
evasion of the income tax law is shown
to have been willfull and premiditated
the delinquent may not only be forced
to pay fine but he may be sentenced
to prison.
These same officials have power to
check up reports made by people in
Kenosha to guard against the making
Of fraudulent returns.
It is declared that the largest num-
Der Of the delinquents are to be found
among the men who earned last year
between one and two thousand dollars
and who have no wife. Many of these
men refused to pay any attention to
the appeals of the government and
the officials have asked local
factory managers to make a re-
turn of their income.
The government is not taking ad-
vantage of any one this year in asses
sing the fines as representatives of the
department were stationed in Keno
sha for more than two months and dur
ing this time they gave their entire
time to making out income tax re-
turns. While it is pretty certain that
the men will all be fined, they may
save some portion Of the fine by max
ing immediate returns to the officials
and offering a compromise to the gov
ernment