Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-02-29
WATERS and
.BOOTBLACKS
INCOME
TAX. TO U. s.
Plumbers Have Been Deposed
as "AristoCrats of Labor
by Piano Movers and
Other Laborers.

SklSI Go6Vl
| New York, Feb. 2S.-Plumbers
who pay income taxes are no longer
the "aristocrats OF labor" according
to William H. Edwards, United
States internal revenue collector for
the second and third districts of New
York, in whose districts this year
more than Sl,5O0,00c will be
gathered up for Uncle Sam.
High wages and profitable over
time, says Mr.. Edwards, have raised
to the income tax-paying list such
workers as longshoremen, garment
makers, paper hangers, railroad
brakemen, chauffeurs, sailors, truck
drivers and piano movers. "And
don't forget the chorus girls, the
movie stars and the hotel walters" -
declared the collector, adding that
some of the latter are making more
than $4,000 year In tips alone. +,
Bellboys Pay Tax.
Street car conductors and motor
men in Brooklyn, for instance, he
said have made as much as 500
week and, if their yearly income ex
ceeds $1,000 for a single man or
$1,000 for the head of family, they
will be required to contribute their
share toward the cost of running the
government. g Mr.. Edwards cited a
few instances without, of course,
mentioning names, Of bootblacks,
milkwagon drivers and bellboys who
in 1919 earned in excess Of their ex-
. emption and who will be required
to file returns.
Payment of the income tax began
on January | and will continue un-
til midnight of March IS, at which
time all returns must be in to escape
the possibility of a maximum OF
81 900 fine for delinquency. While
Collector Edwards was opening his
mail the other day out fell check
| for $2883.51530, representing the
paymeut of a corporation tax with
penalty and interest. The next let
| ter he opened was from Montclair,
N. J., which is also IN his district,
1t had been registered to pay an IN
come tax of Sl.37. ,
Woman Pays Cents.
A recent caller at the collectors
! Office was a woman whose net in
come was IS cents. Her tax amount
ed to a cents. She wanted to know
if she would be permitted to make
the payments Quarterly" When
told she could she smiled and said
she guessed she would pay it all at
once handed over four shining pen
MES and took her receipt.
Another patriotic citizen-foreign-
born-hled a careful return showing
that he had no income which was
subject TO taxation At the bottom
of his return was the following nota-
ton: "No tax due but would like
to pay some tax and enclose for
$780,"
1920 Receipts Are Less.
Collector Edwards said that, IN
der the law, he was not permitted to.
accept the check, but that he for
warded it to Commissioner Roper in
Washington to dispose of as he saw
fit This year the income tax rate
is less than last, Mr.. Edwards said,
the normal rate being per cent on
the first $4,000 of net income above
the exemption and per cent on the
remaining net income instead of 6
! aud - nar rant 1910
"Offhand," said the collector.
zone would hardly think that long
shoreman came within the require
ments. of the. income tax law. Ger
tainly he did not few years ago
when many OF them found it hard to
make living. In the last year or
two, however, many longshoremen
have been making from $1,000 to
$4,000 a year.
Many Actors Pay.
THE income tax also hits some
members of the theatrical profession
pretty hard. Some of these actors,
including motion picture stars, per-
haps make as high as 5000 and $500
a week for six months in the year.
They live well and by the time their
income tax paymen is due may be
out of an engagement. They are con-
fronted with a good-sized tax with
out any immediate means. 1t is then
up to them to get it.
| Last year my Investigators found
| many diamond merchants have been
doing business in this country four
or FIVE years without paying taxes.
We got after them and increased
our returns by more than S1,000000.
Some Actresses Fined.
Some of the actresses who were
delinquent last year said they did
| not pay because they could not fig
ure out just how much they were
exempt because of the cost of their
gowns, taxicabs and other Injuries
A SO per cent penalty was imposed
because of their failure to pay when
the taxes were due.
Income taxes" said the collector,
should be figured as liability just
as insurance, interest on a mort
gage or your winters coal bill. Then
| when the time comes for payment il
will not be hardship. Nearly 10000
persons were fined last year for fail
ure to file returns. A certain stock
broker made 100000. He filed his
return showing tax of $4,000. He
defaulted in his payment, however.
and in personal interview with me,
said ne didn't have the money. A s
per cent penalty was imposed and he
hustled around and got the money.
His failure to provide for the tax