The daily morning oasis., 1919-03-04
THIS TELLS HOW TO
FIGURE INCOME TAX
SquareIy Up to Every Individual
to Get Busy by March IS
or Suffer Penalty.

Don't wait until the final due date.
March Is, for paying your Income Tax
and making your return. Avoid the
last minute rush. Any person can f1S-
ure out his liability today as well as he
can next week, and il there Is any
point on which he needs advice he can
now get in touch with Revenue man."
This word of advice is from Alfred
Franklin, Collector of Internal Reve-
nue., Phoenix, Ariz., who is collecting
the Income Tax in Arizona and New
Mexico. Collector Franklin Is giving
without charge every aid of his Office
and his enlarged field force to help the
people get their payments and their
returns in by March 18th.
But the Income Tax men will not
pull your door-bell or your coat-tails,
according to the Collectors announce
ment. 1t is squarely up to every indi-
yidual to figure out his own case and
to get busy If he comes within the
scope of the new Revenue law
Dt0 IV0 EdIH hHto Wu0OhA
Every unmarried person who re-
ceived income averaging $19.25 q week
during 1918 and every married couple
who Jointly received income averaging
$3.50 a week should secure at once
from the nearest Deputy Collector or
the nearest bank a blank Form 1040 A.
That form contains the information he
will need to enable him to figure his
correct net income and any tax that he
owes the government.
The law requires that every unmar-
ried person who had a net income of
$1,000 or over and every married per-
son whose net income was $1,000 or
over (including the income Of husband
or wife and the earnings of minor
children, If any, must make a return
on or before March 18TH And this re-
quirement does not hinge on whether
the person owes tax.
Taxable income.
An individual must include under
gross income all gains, profits and in
come derived from salaries, wages or
compensation for personal service Of
whatever kind and in whatever form
paid or from professions, vacations,
business, sales or dealings in property
Of all kinds, interest, rent, dividends
or profits derived from any source
whatever. Very few items Of income
are exempt.
Deductions include ordinary and nee
essary business expenses, interest paid
or accrued on indebtedness, taxes Of
all kinds except Federal income and
excess profits taxes and assessments
for local benefits, losses actually SuS-
tanned, debts ascertained to be worth
less and depreciation on buildings, ma
chinery, fixtures, ETC., used in business.
A further deduction is allowed for con-
tributions to corporations operated for
religious, charitable, scientific or edu-
cational purposes or for the prevention
Of cruelty to children or animals to an
amount not exceeding Is per cent Of
the taxpayers net income as computed
without the benefit Of the contribution
deduction.
The taxpayer is not allowed to de-
duct any personal, living or family ex-
pense, any amount spent for improving
property or any expense of restoring
property or making good its exhaus-
ton for which an allowance is claimed
under depreciation.
Figuring the Tax.
Before figuring the normal tax the
dividends are deducted as credits from
net income, together with the personal
exemption. As in previous years, divi-
lends of domestic corporations are ex-
einpt from normal tax when received
by the stakeholder.
The normal tax rates for citizens
hrst $4,000 Of net income In excess Of
the credits the rate is per cent; ON
any further taxable income the rate Ia
II per cent
| The surtax rates apply to net in
come of each individual In excess of
$1,000. The personal exemption and
the dividends are not deductible before
computing surtax. In the case Of re-
turns by husband and wife, the net in
;ome Of each is considered separately
q computing any surtax that may be
iue. Form 1910 should be used for
making returns Of net income exceed
Gg $1,000, and the instructions on that
torn will show how to figure the sur
AK,
Business House Returns.
Employers and others who paid
wages, salaries, rents, interest or SIM
lar determinable gains in an amount
II $1,000 or over during 1913 to any
person must file an information return
With the Government. Blanks may be
iecured from the Collector.
Every partnership must file return
showing its income and deductions and
,he name and address of each partner,
with IDS share of the profits or losses
Turing the past year. Personal service
corporations will file similar informa-
ion for 1913.