The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-03-20
TAX RECEIPTS
 <. ARE LESS THIS YEAR THAN LAST
More Individual Returns But Total Is
 Lower

New York, March 20.-In a state ment issued yesterday William H. Ed wards, Collector of Internal Revenue for Manhattan, said that while there have been more individual income tax returns the actual cash receipts for this year will not equal those of last year.
 While I am not in a position to- give out information on the exact re- ceipts from income said the Collec- tor, flor the reason that Washington will tabulate the figures from all over the country and make a general statement regarding the same. I will state that in my opinion, after what I have seen of the larger returns coming through this office, the amount of money from this source will be rather disappointing. This is accounted for because the normal tax has been reduced to 4 per cent, and this of course will affect every re- turn. In other words, the normal tax has been reduced one-third, and as the great bulk of the returns show an income under $5,OO0s there will be great reduction on this account.
 'Also on account of the slump in the market, the latter part of last years tremendous losses were regis tered by people holding securities. and of course these losses are de- ductible for income tax purposes, and it is reasonable to anticipate a much smaller amount of money as a result of filing returns this year than last y
 The offices of Collector Edwards were crowded yesterday with taxpay- CTS who did not get in their returns by midnight on Monday. Collector Edwards said that it is the policy ot 17iS fn +ov
 payers who were out of town and reached New York late to get in thei1 returns on the 18th, or for other goo6 and valid reasons and file them as ot yesterday. He made this additiona
 statement:
 'Taxpayers of New York, taken a.
 a whole, have responded to this law
 in a splendid manner and have com,
 up to the captains office with thei
 returns and money in the prope
 spirit. The tremendously large re
 responsibilities of my office (the Thir'
 District, which is all upper New York
 having been consolidated with tn
 Second District) necessitated radica
 and extensive reorganization and ex
 pansion of my administrative ma
 chinery On account of the pressur for information by the public I ha to employ special experts to inforI the millions of citizens of this cit with the requirements of Federal tax alton. I was sp1endid1y supported b the Department in Washington an they furnished me seventy expert ta men from Colonel Daniel [. Porter field force, and I distributed thes men throughout the city in bank trust companies and departrne1 ! stores, where they met thousands taxpayers, gave them the necessa1 . information and even went so far {
 to assist them in making up their ta returns. The prompt, cordial and e N fective cooperation accorded by thes Es institution has been the source s constant inspiration in the work a this department.
 "My work has just begun, as far M this income tax drive is concerne s.s for the reason that all the return which amount to millions, filed in tn
 office in the last two months have ], be carefully checked, tabuIated al 1 registered before being forwarded A Washington"