Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-01
EXCISE TAXES IN
EFFECT TO-DAY
Long List of Luxuries as Well
as Many Essentials, on Which
the Purchaser Will Have to
Pay a Cent or More to Uncle
Sam

A long list of excise taxes under the war
revenue act passed by Congress in 1918 be-
comes effective to-day ana from now on
until further notice the purchasing pub
Tic VIII be called upon to pay n cent or
more on great many of the articles
used in everyday life, both essential and
under the head of luxuries. It is the pub
| lie that must pay these taxes and at the
| time of purchase.
| "A tax of 10 cents on every dollar or frac-
| ton thereof for things purchased above
certain price. the tax to be paid by the
purchaser and not the merchant, will hit
| great many people in the essentials line.
included in the list are many articles,
but for example the following are cited:
Umbrellas. over $500; fans over $1.oO,
smoking Jackets and bathrobes over $3.50.
| mems waistcoats over $500, women's hats
over SIS. mems and boys hats over IS. 90,
| mems and boys caps over $500, mems,
womens, misses and children's shoes over
$40. neckties over $500; mems silk stock
ings over $10O per pair, womens silk
stockings over $500 per parr mems shirts
over $500, pajamas, nightrobes, underwear
over $500, kimonas, petticoats. etc, over
$l5. Thus IL an umbrella Is purchased at
its marked price of $3.50 the purchaser
pays a tax on the 30 cents which Is the
| amount above the price set by the gov
| eminent as the limit without a tax.
Local merchants are to collect this tax
In various ways, the most of them being
under the direction of the store superin-
| tendent or floor walker, the tax for the
article in practically all cases to be in
cluded in the price to he paid. The super
intendent or floor walker will explain to
the customer the tax to be paid and see
that 1t is collected and a record kept of
| the transaction.
| For toilet articles. proprietary medicines.
etc, there is to be a revenue stamp affixed
to each bottle or package at the time of
sale by the clerk in the presence Of the
purchaser, the latter to know by explana-
ton the cost of the stamp. etc.
| Fred Whittemore, deputy collector of in
ternal revenue, announces to the mee
chants. druggists etc, that these revenue
stamps are on sale at the parcel post win
dow in the local postofce, and will be
found in one or two cent amounts. The
other stamps. running as high as 40 cents.
! have not arrived but are expected.
| All toilet articles bought will be sub
| ject to tax of one cent on each %
cents and for each fraction thereof that
the article cost, the tax to be paid by
the purchaser and at the time of the
purchase. The tax on a tube of tooth
paste that sells for 80 cents would be
two cents. one cent for the 25 cents
and an additional cent for the extra
five cents.
A tax of one cent for each 25 cents
and fraction thereof on all prepared
pills. medicine, tinctures, liniments and
proprietary medicines is in effect This
does not include prescriptions written
by a physician except in a case where
the prescription calls for the use of
med cine under the heading as above.
! Ice cream and soda waters and their
various forms are taxed, beginning to-
day. A person who buys such is re-
quired to pay tax of one cent for
each 10 cents or fraction thereof. If
a chocolate nut sundae is bought, the
price of which Is Is cents, there will
be a tax of two cents added to the cost.
If a 10-cent ice cream is purchased the
tax is one cent. Ice cream may be
bought in any quantity from any store
and taken out and no tax is required,
but If the article bought is eaten in
the store the tax must be paid. Bot
tied goods such as moXie, ginger ale,
grape juice. tonics, etc, are exempted
from taxation so far as the purchas-
ing public is concerned, as the tax is
paid at the factory.
The method of collecting this tax
will he carried out in various forms
but the most popular devised and
which will be in operation in about a
dozen ice cratm PAL lors and drug stores
about the city to-day is the ticket
method. The tickets are printed with
the name of the store and in three
styles and colors. On one style is
printed zone cent war tax" and on an
other two cents and the third three
cents. If a person buys 1O-cent ice
cream he also is made to buy one of
the one-cent tickets The ticket Is
dropped into box by the dealer.
At night the proprietor empties the
box. totals the amount received in
taxes and takes out that sum from his
cash register and saves it for the gov
eminent.