The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-03-12
Men
Begin Today The
Great Income
Tax Drive

lax UTlVt|
Jacksonville, March 12.-Twenty-
FIVE thousand four-minute men start-
ed ont today on a nationwide cam
paign to impress upon the American
uublic their patriotic duty promptly
TO file their income tax return ana
nav their taxes. The period for filing
ends April l. Taxpayers have seven
teen days, not counting Sundays, IN
which to comply with this provision
of the law The penalty for failure is
a fine of not less than $40 nor more
than $1,000 and an additional assess
ment of so per cent of the amount
due.
The four-minute men will appear IN
theaters, moving picture houses anu
at public gatherings. Special meet
ings will be held by chambers Of COM
merce, boards of trade, rotary clubs,
luncheon clubs and business organl-
cations to hear the addresses. Dom
delay is the warning that will DO
given by the speakers Taxpayers will
be urged to protect themselves and
aid the government by being prompt.
1t will cost the government money
and trouble to hunt down the man
who lodges the income tax, but the
word has gone forth from headquar.
ters that this will be done. The
Stacker" will be shown no leniency.
The man whose intentions are good
but who is inclined to put off until
tomorrow what should be done today
will be urged not to procrastinate,
but to get his blank and file his re-
turn at once
Supplied With Facts
In every address the four-minute
men will lay stress upon that pro-
vision of the law which requires a
return from every unmarried person
whose net income for 1917 was 81 900
or more and from every married per-
son whose net income was $4,000 or
more They will be supplied with
facts and figures to show that the
rich man and the man of modest in
.or1e alike are made to bear q ms,
share of the common burden Tables
Wi'l be produced comparing the rate
OF tax in the United States and Great
Britain. Here the married man with
an income of $1,000 pays SO. In
Great Britain the man with an in.
come of $4,000 pays a tax of 1925 and
SScO If his income is not earned but
is from interest on bonds or the like
AS the income increases the differ,
ence between American and British
taxes become less and finally wher
million dollar incomes are reached
the amount paid in this country is
greater than in Great Britain.
The normal rate of tax under the
war revenue act of 1917 is 2 per cent
on the net income of unmarried per
IONS in excess of $1,000 and on thu
net income of married persons in ex.
cess of $4,000. Under the act of Sep
tember s, 1916, which remains If
force, the normal rate of tax is 2 pc,
cent. on the net income of unmarried
persons in excess of $4,000 and or
the net income of married persons II
! excess of $4,000.
Incomes under the 1917 act ar.
subject to surtax which ranges from
1 per cent on incomes between 5,OO|
and $500 to SO per cent on income,
in excess of $1,000,OO0. The surtax IN
der the 1916 act ranges from 1 ne,
cen on incomes between $4,000 an,
$4o'OVo to IL per cent on incomes il
excess of 100000. The muIti-mi,
li'naire is assessed 81 per cent on hi,
income in excess of 100000, Will,
the man with a $4,000 income nav,
z per cent on his income in excess q
50 900.
No CapitaIistic War
These and other facts and figure,
Will be used to refute the Statement
OF German sympathizers that this 10
capitalists war"
we must learn to realize" saw,
a bulletin issued to the four-minrt,
men by the committee on public IN
formation that all of us who na,
/ orr Oito ora roo1I.-