Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-25
Retailers Add / AK
Before Bill Passes
Nv Frederic J. Haskfn

Washington, D. c., November 2l.--
A new species Of protitccr,ns hns re-
Gently sprung up to prevent us iron
becoming too optimistic concerning the
rapid improyement of human nature.
! This is the practice of adding the amount
/ of a wnr tax to the price of a commodity
! before the tax has gone into effect; :,
The taxes on commodities included
in the new war revenue bill do not go
into effect. of course, until the measure
is passed. This, judging by present
indications, will not be for many weeks;
But, according to complaints receiVeu
by the government from people III
various cities, retailers ARE airc;aoy a9u-
ing the future tax to the pr,ce M aItlcies:
Some cigars, for example, arc already
bearing the future war tax of one per
cigar, whereas the present tax Is only
a fraction Of a cent. Many liquor
stores, it appears, are adding the new
tax Of sc. 40 per gallon to the price oil
their wine and whisky, and some theatre
box offices are charging the new ~ pI0
cent tax on admissions which has n,s
zone into effect.
RETAILERS GET PROFITS.
There is no excuse for this practice.
These additions 10 the prices do not go
to the sovernment: they 60 into the
rockets of the retailers charging them.
In order to combat this method of profit
eer;ny everyone should know the amount
of war tax he is supposed to pay on every
article, and then refuse to pay any more,
For IL is only the careless ignorance oil
the public that makes this particular
form of profteering possible.
Taxation is a matter v,taiiy "fectihs
all of us, and is therefore question
GIL, ctY tnd
every American who looks upon hin'-
self as an intelligent voter. While the
present war revenue bill being worked
out in Congress seeks to impose taxa
tion on those who are best able TO bear
it. every American whose income Is over
one thousand dollars a year Will be
! affected by il. Hence, every Amen.
can whose income is over one thousand
dollars a year should be intensely In
tercsted in the provisions and progress
Of this bill. As it is, the only people
who are keeping their attention liked OF
he bill with a view to looking after
heir own interests ARE our manufacturers
Who do not hesitate to register pro-
est whenever they consider that one
necessary.
The other day it was the candy
manufacturers who were protesting; be
ore Jn3l IL n9Q pttIi iiit NttshN siiNa Ss.a
rade, and before that, some OF our mos'
Amous soap concerns But from the
eneral public no comment has beer
card. No one knows whether 1t Is
eiRhted or disguised with the new
stem Of tnxer 1t doesn't know 1t
II.
NO KICK FROM WORKERS.
Similarly, no protest has been received
m that vast hor,ie Of small salarleC
nericans whose income is just above
minimum excluded from taxation
the revenue bill. Apparently, II
not occurred to the average Amerl'
working on a small salary to pro
his income tax All the protests
e come from individuals whose In
e. consist of of six figures or more
Nm with million-dollar income
thGre is a surprising number OF
I'd IN the Office of Internal Revenue
the Treasury Department. cannot
ain Indifferent to the payment ot
per cent of 1T to the government
percentage called for in the bill
pre- Congress.
fanv of the provisions in the bill
be altered before if becomes law
it stands. the first, and most import
item is the income tax. This cali:
a fat rate Of per cent on all incomes
bve 81 900, in the case of single per
Is. and $1,000 in the case OF married
+sons, up to the amount Of $4,000
comes above $4,000 are to be taxeC
Aat rate Of II per cent.
In addition 10 this tax, there is sur
OF incomes over 5000, bcginnin,
tn oner per cent on incomes between
he and six thousand, and gradually
ling up the scale until the surtax on al
come of one million dollars is IS pc
mt.
There is also an inheritance tax of on
er cent on inheritaDces IN excess of $40,