St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1919-01-25
information Is Valuable To
Every Man Required
To Make Report.
FAUNTLEROY TELLS
WHAT TO REPORT
Estimated That Nearly All
Laborers and Farmers
Subject to Tax.
To The Farmer:

10 Inc + dILuGI.
New Orleans, Jan. 22.-The big in
come tax drive of 1919 is nav under
way, and every preparation is beng
made to handle the largest collection
in the history of income tax. am
net waiting for the finaN passage of
tie new re.enue bill by Congress,
said Collector J. Y. FauntleroY to-
day, "Lor for the new regulations
and blank forms to be issued. 20
get this big tax in and get It accurate
and complete, urge that We all be-
gil now
! The income tax obligations .m-
posed by the old laws, as well as the
measure now in Congress, consist Of
two distinct operations. One is, to
file return or statement Of all items
OF income and items Of deductions
allowable by law, and to do This N!th-
in the period named in the ia V. The
other is, to pay the tax, if any Is due.
Neither of these obligations can
be met without a careful review OF
income and expenditure fer the tax
year. That is the big job right now,
and that is why | say the income tax
drive is already under way. Every
where the pencil is busy. The cid
year is done; all its fruits are CLEAN
ed; and every person who Jared well,
or earned good competence, must
analyze his own case in cold figures.
when the new bill is enacted into
law, ! will have the proper return
forms distributed throughout the dis
trict, and everybody will be informed
of the date when the sworn return
must be filed. 1t is my plan to send
men out to central locations, and to
have them travel through the dis
trict, aiding taxpayers in the prep
aration of the returns and in decld-
ing doubtful points. We will go
right to the people with the income
tax, and with the cooperation which
the public can give the government
men, the returns will be filled by
everybody who comes under the law S
provisions, the right taxes Will be
paid, and the district will have done
it's full patriotic duty toward the
governments support.
Meanwhile, let me say again,
there is need of delaying the prep
aration of figures. Anything that
Congress does now will not affect the
amount OF a persons earnings for
1918. Let US avoid the belated
throwing together of figures that
may hit or miss. Guesses cannot be
accepted as the basis of taxation. 1t
Is clearly the duty Of every person
to compile correct figures and ascer-
l. ;c i,,an
was sufficient to make necessary a
sworn return.
"The year 1913 was a banner year
for salaries and wages, and the high
war prices brought unusual profits
to the average small tradesman and
TO the farmer. The opinion in Wash
ington is that million citizens and
residents will make this year their
first income tax returns.
'All signs indicate that the income
tax this year will reach nearly every
working man and woman, and nearly
every merchant, shopkeeper and
farmer. Not all will have to pay the
tax. but nearly all will be obliged tc
make a sworn statement OF the
years income.
81 am therefore advising every un'
married person who earned $1,000 OF
over during the year 1918, and every
married person, who together WITT
wife or husband, earned $4,000. tc
sharpen his pencil and figure out
how he stands.
"He must ascertain accurately his
gross income from all sources
There's his salary or wages, includ
ing overtime pay and any bonus re
ceived as additional compensation
A married person having children
under IS who are working should in
clude the earnings of such children.
"If he sold any property at prom
the gain must be computed and in
cluded in gross income. II he rent
ed any property to other persons, the
total rents received in the year mus
be ascertained, and from that figure
a deduction may be- taken for take
paid on rented property, the neces
sary minor repairs, fire insurance
any interest he may have paid OF
mortgage, and / a reasonable allow
ance for annual wear and tear OF th'
rented property The balance is in
Guided in gross income for the year.
"Tnterest on bank denosi4s. wheth
er withdrawn or added to his banl
balances, must be included in all cal
culations Of income. Bond interes
received during the year must ais
be included, except interest on mu
nicipal, county or state bonds. In
terest on United States Bonds neet