Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-17
PENALTY BOOSTS
INCOME IMPOSTS
Prosecution Withheld if
Voluntary Returns Are
Made Quickly
DELINQUENTS WARNED

Income tax returns may still be filed
at the Internal revenue office In the
Federal Building.
Late returns, voluntarily made, are
subject to a penalty tax of per cent
The penalty Is increased to 30 per cent
when the return Is made only after in
vestigation by the government officials
has unearthed the delinkuency.
Persons who failed to file their re-
turns before Saturday at midnight are
already taking advantage of the govern
ment's offer to withhold prosecution II
the blank is filed now and the per
cent additional paid.
Just how long this offer will remain
open before every person who has not
filed return will be considered a de-
linuuent, subject to the so per cent pen
atty, is not definitely known. Both
Ephraim I.ederer,- Collector OF Internal
Revenue for this district and Edward s.
Smith, his chief assistant, said today
than the whole matter Is contingent
upon orders which may be received from
Washington.
Collector Lederer said he would make
no definite statements of any steps to
he taken by the office until advlces from
Washington directing him in his work
are received.
Probes Under Way
Mr.. Smith said that pending such
orders the local office has already begun
its work of investigation, and that when
the Washington advices tell Of the steps
to be taken against violators of the law
the local Office will have gathered the
Information necessary to proceed with
the prosecutions.
Those who made errors in their re-
turns will be allowed to make correc-
tions.
A plea was made today by the
collectors Office to get the floor tax"
returns in early. Tobacco dealers have
until March 81 to file these returns.
In this connection, it Is pointed out that.
unlike last year, every cigar. cigarette
and package of tobacco exposed for
sale must be reported to the govern.
ment. All of these commodities are
taxed at different rates
1t is estimated, unofficially, that $780,
100000 will be the contribution Of the
Philadelphia district to the income tax
for the fiscal year 1918. These figures
are the personal opinions of revenue
officials based partly upon calculations
fnade betore the tax went into effect.
1t Is believed that these figures will hn
fully confirmed when the returns arc
completed. Just what proportion Of th,s
huge sum has been received It is i'm
possible to say. "
Stacks of Mail
me task Of receiving and figuring
out 'ne TAX went on yesterday without
the crowds and 'rushes'' of the weel,
but without ceasing nevertheless Tho
entire day was spent in systematically
digging into" the piles of mai, accm-
mulated on the second floor of the Post
office Building.
All OF the mail returns will not he
IN betore tuesday but the tax .egula-
| tions provide that all letters mailed be-
fore midnight on Saturday are within
| the law. The revenue officials. quit
ting work at l2:45 o'clock yesterday
morning, were in many cases back "on
the job at and $50. The last twelve
hours of their work, from noon till mid
night Saturday, they declared, had been
the hardest.
You could see a change" said off,
GERS. ''at noon Saturday. All classes
| OF people had been making their re-
| turns up to that time, but after -
O'Clock it was the workers, almost to
| the exclusion Of everybody else The
| last persons to come in were members
of theatrical company, who came down
after the performance and got to the
postoffice Just before midnight"
Long after the public went home and
considered its income troubles at an end
| some of the officials worked on.
Some of the heaviest work will be
in auditing the complicated tax returns
of the big corporations. The instruc-
ton sheets of the return blanks contain
more than yard of printed material,
and many of the obscure and perplex-
| ing items have to be accompanied by
separate schedules and statements CIV
ing full financial details. 1t Is not pos
sible to have these made on specially
| devised blanks, and the audit Is posi-
be only by skilled accountants who are
familiar with every phase of the tax
regulations.
/