Evening star., 1919-12-07

estimate of population made by the
census bureau July /. 1919, and of
80 persons to family. there would
be about 23.700,000 families. The
| taxes estimated to be raised through
the customs and internal revenue in
the fiscal year 1921 are s4,5I5, ,00O. 900.
The American people, one way or an
other. are going to pay these taxes.
There is no escape. They must pay
them either directly or Indirectly. The
tax per family will run about $3.50.
The average income of the American
family, as nearly as 1t can be esti-
mated from data at hand. is about
$1,200. Take $3.50 from this income and
you have s1.01O left You have Topped
of 1873 per cent of the income. 1t may
be said that the federal taxes do not
I fall regularly upon all families and
that, therefore. 1t is not fair to make
such subtraction. However, the cost
to the people comes not only in d.
rect taxes. but in the higher cost of
food. clothing, rents. etc. and every
family has to eat, wear clothes and
have a shelter. So these taxes are
much more equally distributed than
might be thought at first glance 1t is
an old saying that "the poor pay most
| of the taxes, anyway" Certainly they
feel the burden far more than the
rich.
! Part of this $3.50 will be taken in u,
income taxes. part in the internal
revenue direct taxes upon various
kinds of commodities and part will
be taken indirectly through taxes
upon corporations and individuals
producing articles which the people
| other part will be taken in the GUS
toms on imported articles. The in
direct taxes are practically always
! passed along to the consumer.
| Big Part of H. c. l..
And. so it may be judged. the fed
eral taxes play a most important part
in the present high cost of living.
! and a reduction in these taxes will
| be great boon to the American peo-
pie. And the only way to make
| reduction possible is to pare the
expenditures Of the federal govern
ment to the bone.
The etimated cost on the public
debt to be paid in the fiscal year 1921
is $1.017. 100000. The estimate also
includes $es7, SOC, 900 to become part
of sinking fund for the retirement
of the public debt, which on October
81. 1919. amounted to s26,2IO,53O, 900,
the vast amount of which was in
CURED during the war. Subtract the
interest on the debt and the sink
ling fund from the estimates and the
result will be what the government
proposes to expend in it's various OPP
erations during the fiscal year 1921,
approximately S3.16s, 500. 900. This is
some $4,000. 100000 more than the gov
ernment was expendine annually be-
fore the United States entered the
war.
The suggestion has been made in
| some quarters, by the New York
Chamber of Commerce notably, that
the government should undertake to
fund the debts of the allies to the
United States. The foreign loans on
Ocober 81, 1919, amounted to $9.406.-
371,SSS.55. It is urged that il these
loans could be used to pay the in
| terest, or a large part of it, on our
public debt. and also to establish a
sinking fund for the retirement of
the principal Of the public debt, then
it would be possible to reduce still
further the taxes under which the peo-
pie of the country are struggling.
Little Grumbline During War.
The voters, who are the taxpayers.
paid their taxes with little or no
grumbling during the war. They knew,
that the money was needed for the
men in France on the fighting line
to win the war. But with peace at
hand they are demanding that Con-
gress and the executive give them
some relief, and they intend to have
this relief II they can get 1T. In the
last revenue bill, which became law
last spring. the democratic Congress
then in power not only fixed the taxes
to be charged on incomes received in
the calendar year 1918, but also on
those received in the year 1919. which
are to be collected in 1920. The ques-
ton has been raised as to whether 1t
would not be possible to reduce the
taxes to be collected on the incomes
received this year, which are payable
in 1920. but it is said that in view
of the big appropriations already
made for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1920, and the obligations of the
government, it would not be wise to
undertake such a reduction.
However, the republican Congress
is beginning to look into this matter
of tax reduction, and the ways and
means committee of the House and
the finance committee Of the Senate.
it is said, will be getting to work on
this problem before long.