The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-10-05
Guilty Ball Players
MayFaceCharges of
DOdging u. S. Tax

these reports called returns Of In
formation" II Abe didn't report
that $4,000, the fact can be de-
termincd by looking thru a card
index for his name.
PENALTY IL STEEP
FOR viOIATORs
The law says: IAN persons max
ing payments TO another person OF
fixed or determinnble income OF
1000 or more In n taxable year.
must render n return 20 the com.
missioner for the preceding caien-
dar year on or before March 10 Of
each year" Another article OF the
regulations says;
III the failure ~ willfui. or an
attempt n made 10 defeat or
evade the tax. the Offender IL
liable 20 imprisonment and IN
u fine Of not more than $4,000
and costs. and TIE tax and so
pr cent additional may he col
Iest~d- There arc other nd
vaiorcm penalties"
Every bribc given should have
been reported twice. both by the
giver and receiver. The ball play.
ers who received the bribes should
have put the amount In their In.
come tax returns.
OF course. there II no way for
any one outside Of the Internal
revenue bureau 10 Know
whether this WINS done. n n
highwayman reports mn Income
from his trade Of robbery by
firearms" II remains secret ns
far ~ the Internal revenue bu-
reau h concerned.
Tho procedure In n case like the
present baseball scandal IN for Com.
missioner williams 20 order the
returns OF information and '"in.
come tar RETURNS OF all the gnm.
blerr and hall players involved.
audited. Or deputy collector in
Chicago or Washington may In
vestignfc.
DrIINQuENCUs ARE
CAREFULLY TRACED
when the commissioner takes
such matter Up. he refers II 10
the delinquent tax drive" officials.
Their first move Is TO 30 20 tho
sorting and income returns al.
visions. A, the latter place the
duty % telling them whether the
gamblers had siied returns. and for
how much. would fall 10 Deputy
Commissioner q. v. Newton.
n their incomes are moro than
81, 900 for 1913. he would have on
file each return as they were made
by the men personally In Chicago
or wherever they call home. In
iess than five minutes he can DO
'errninc whether Cico,,c reported
tina, $4,000 Abe A'tell was sup
posed 10 give him.
But N the incomes ~ the guilty
mon were less than 5000. or for
any reason happened not 10 be on
file In Newton's office. the cases
OF the ball players would be re.
ferred 20 <hs revenue collector OF
the district In which they live.
or course. II the question of
where they had filed returns was
involved. n deputy collector would
no TO the ball players In person
10 find where .ho return was flied
In the event no return had been
flied. the players and gambler
| would be In worse than ever.
The law specifically provides
that gains from Illegal trans
actions must be reported and an
income tax paid or them.
losses In Illegal transactions
arc not dcdnetibI~ from taxable
income. hut gamblers may de.
duct losses from Illegal transae-
tions from gains from Illegal
transactions and report the n~t
gains, hut they cannot deduct
the net losses from other legiti-
mate income.
The procedure. after " n learned
tha, false returns have been made.
Is 10 try 10 collect the tar and
penalties. and II they are willful
errors. such as these I'm the base
hall scandal. II any. prosecutions
would follow. both criminal. and
civil. by United States district at.
fnrneyr