The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-03-09
The New War Taxes.

New York Times
The president signed tho war tax
| hIll Monday night II ls not 10 be
believed that he read It's 962 pages.
not to mention the ltreasury's l6i
pages OF Interpretation Of a small
and comparatively simple portion,
thot relating 10 individual incomes.
lnstnllmcnts or treasury interpreta-
tinns are 20 follow from time to
time, some appearing after payment
has been made. aud some to correct
others. These rulings have the force
OF law, and the iucstimahlc ndvant-
age that they may be altered upon
the recommendation OF an advisory
board without appealing to congress
to Construe or to amend language
which seemed satisfactory until II
became necessary to- apply It In
practice
tJh" war tax act is pra iss whSihSA
anyhow In that II repcals the Nwo
previous Acts which were anathcma.
No one will weep over the labor lost
in understanding them now that
they are repealed. and there Is only
one income tax law Rut the new in
come tax law must hc read I'm CON
ncCtion with the new loan law, for
the latter law gives tho exemptions
from thc tax payments Under ear
Her laws fllO, 600 OF hunds were cX-
Cluded from the sources OF gross in
como. That exemption is undergo
Ing enlargement by how much those
Interested may decide by reading
several times the trcasury's plain
statement ~ the law. lest any
body should be confusGy addi-
uons and limitations apr hing TO
eight various issues Il NJ stated
for what 1t is worth asPe Pe case
stands that the total Is. or is likely
to he. experts say, 100000. Intl
tho pending war mote loan is ac-
tualy enacted It will be premature
10 bother about &C. As to other mat
iers ~ dispute and MISUNDERSTANDING
the better way IL To consult either the
treasury officials or lawyers and nc
couu'auts The man in the street viii
only by accident reach right CON
clusion BY the unaided light OF rca-
son applied to the law Itself
Tho time to C~i'icisc tho law
passed with iis enactment Now II Is
tho part Of wisdom and patriotism %
minimize its faults. and 10 comply
with i's provisions at least patiently,
good humorcdly II possible. II IN a
hlcss'nc In disguise that compliance
with the law will teach millions more
than they otherwise would know
about their own affairs The federal
trade commission has reported that
less than half the corporations doing
A business Of $4,000 and over make
any n'luw1nc" for depreciation Nine
'onihs 30 not keep cost accounts and
therefore IRE surprised by business
failure when It oyertakcs them lg-
nor1nco OF costs Is the commonest
cause ur cutthroat competition and
The strongest argument for govern
mcnt operation ~ trade In order TO
su Sply consumers with goods or ser.
vices At "cogt without uroN," That
was the argument. made before the
senate committee now studying rail
way affairs by the representative OF
the railway men Yet the fact is that
even under private operation, and the
regulation OF the interstate COMMITS
sion. depreciation of plant Is net
cared for in the rate. The poSofrice's
innocence OF cost accounting is a
hyWurd Hut tho war tax law re-
uulrcs oven frrgrrs to keep acCountg
and mako reports There is a dim
chance that We may learn what milk
costs otherwise than hy use OF for
muh which has nothing ~ do with
huwlh natures daily food. In this
respect the badness OF the law and