Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-03
PROFITS TAX RETURNS
WILL BE EXAMINED
Fourteen Reviewers to Adjust
Assessments Named by
Commissioner Roper
TO CONSIDER APPEALS
Committee Expected to Be Kept
Busy Until Payment Is Due
on June 10

Washington. April 3.--Txamination
OF eXcess.profts returns, now on file with
revenue collectors. will be made by
a newly appointed committee OF four
teen tax reviewers representing various
industries or business lines, whose duty
will be TO adjust assessments in the
light OF individual problems Of each busi-
ness. only the returns appealed by coll
fectors or taxpayers will be considered
by this body.
Members Of the committee. announced
by Internal Revenue Commissioner
Roper, are as follows:
T. S. Adams. economist. Of Yale,
chairman; J. l.. Sterrett, accountant.
New York: Stuart w. Cramer, Of the
National Council Of Cotton Manufaceu-
rers. Charlotte, y. c.; T. r Meredith,
agricultural publisher, Des Moinos, la.
William y. Davis. engineer and oil eX-
pert, Bartlcsville. Okla: Thomas T..
Lyons, member Wisconsin state TaN
Commission, Madison. Wis. Il. e. Al
len, State geologist, Lansing, Mich,
Ralph Arnold geologist and petroleum
engineer, Los Angeles. Cal John Marks,
attorney and sugar planter, Napoleon
] b
the mining. smelling and refining indus
| try, Wallace, Idaho: George NJ. Corn
wall, lumber expert Portland, ore : Carl
| H. Nau, accountant, Cleveland; II. II.
| Bond, Massachusetts income tax deputy.
/ Boston. and l.. l., Speer deputy commits
sioner of Internal revenue, Washington.
/ j. {. Peacock, a tax expert connected
with their revenue bureau, will be secre-
tary Of the tax reviewers. Mr. Adams,
dith have been members of the board of
eXcess.profits advisers, whose duties have
/ vir;ually ended now that regulations
have been promulgated and returns are
filed
Legal questions arising under the new
I committees work will be handled by
Arthur A. Baliantine. Boston. solicitor
ior the revenue bureau; Fred 7. Field,
Of Boston; Hugh Satterlee. of Rochester,
y. V. and Robert y. Miller of louisville,
and other special attorneys Of the
bureau.
In addition. there will be four ad-
yisory members: Representative Cor
dell Hull. member Of the House Ways
and Means Committee and chairman Of
the excess profits advisers Wallace d.
Simmons, president Simmons Hardware
Company, st. Louis Henry Walters,
chairman of the Atlantic Coast Line,
Baltimore, ana JOnn BURKE treasurer OF
the United States,
The revenue bureau expects only a
small proportion of all returns to be
appealed, but these are expected to Keep
the reviewers busy for the next two
months or Until payment of taxes is
due, June 10. Most decisions will be
made on testimony presented in briefs
or other documents, although oral hear
ings may be granted in a limited num-
Der of cases.
, In anticipation Of the creation Of this
, reviewing body, many taSpayers with
doubts as to the proper method Of re-
porting filed their returns together with
Statements Of the attitude assumed in
: calculating profits a certain way, and
, asking a review. These will be sorted
, out Immediately by collectors and re-
ferred to the reviewers. Other tax
! payers who failed to submit their re-
turns i'm this form, however are priv
, ileged to ask review of their cases
, Millions Of dollars In taxes arc involved
in individual interpretations Of the re
turns.
. This is true particularly Of business
for which invested capital cannot be
, accurately determined or where the in
! vested capital is seriously dlspropor'
: tionate to the income, such as oil, min
ing and publishing businesses. In these
; cases the assessment will be determined
on the basis of the payments Of similar
businesses.
, To assist in the review work the com
mittce will have an expert named by
each of the siNty-four district revenue
= collectors. This staff will not be per,
! manont, different men being appointed
. from time to time,
with this organization" said Com,
tolig Rnnpp'S a 4.
= payers may be assured OF Intelligent
A and palnstaking consideration of theil
returns and of an impartial and equta.
bic application of the law and rCgula
| tions to their individual cases. 1t Is
! inconceivable that any taxpayer undel
! present conditions should endeavor tC
evade any portion of his just tax OF
seek preferential treatment from thu
Bureau of Internal Revenue"