Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-04-27
CONGRESS
ONPROBLEMOF
} ALTERING TAXES,
Battle To Center Around
| turnover Sales
ak
BY Ii. Z HINT

BY II. p. HUNT.
WASHINGTON, April 27.-Hope
of senate and house leaders that Of.
tectlyc teamwork could be deveIopeG
IN shaping the new revenue law
seems doomed to failure.
Not only have radical differences
developed between house and senate
committee members, but each house
Is so divided that the 531 member.
would report 53l separate bills if
each had his way
Secretary of the Treasury Mellon
has not formulated any specific rec
concentrations, and probably will not
Mellon will make suggestions be
fore the senate finance committee.
The one specific recommendation
in President Harding's message was
the repeal of the excess profits tax
Further than that he stipulated onlr
'the revision or repeal of those take
that have become unproductive and
are SO artificial and buTdensome as
to defeat their own purpose"
Full data is being gathered by eX-
pcrts in the treasury department to
show whether each sort of tax now
collected has proved practicable or
has failed This material Mellon
will present before the committees
and on the facts shown the commit
tee will be expected to base its con-
clusions
Present Taxes.
Taxes now levied by Uncle Sam,
under the existing law, are of II
general classes:
Income taxes, both for individuals
and corporations.
Excess profits taxes.
Excise profits taxes.
Excise taxes, including the social
ed luxury taxes.
Estate taxes
Transportation and communica-
tion taxes.
Taxes on beverages.
Faxes on cigars and tobacco.
Taxes on admissions and dues.
Special taxes.
Stamp taxes. .-----..--...-.
Child labor tax.
1t is in the three groups Of income,
.Xccss profits and excise taxes that
E&hae greatest revision by the present
congress is likely.
Next TO the repcaI of the exec IS
profits tax the changes that may be
set down as definite are:
Sealing down of the surtaXcs on
large incomes.
Increase in CORPORATION tax rates
Some sort of sales tax.
In addition to these it is probable
there will be a return to Scent let.
ter hostage, / cent from the sale Of
each stamp going into the genera,
revenues; an increase in the tax on
stock sales; and the repeal of the ma
ioritv of the luxury taxes, except
those on automobiles, pleasure boats
and a few similar articles.
The theory behind the repeal Of
the luxury taxes would be that a fair
tax on all luxury purchases would
he socured through the sales tax.
\, g..
lakes Mo'"Py.
In the case OF automobIIeS' moVof-
cycles, ilfcS ana l'Ioi4I @ ,'oI '''''1i "tbo" 'o
and motorboats, yachts ana otnef
pleasure craft ulder "ehaVo!
Smoot'5 proposal the present TAX %
from 3 to 10 percent would be col
lccted on the flnal selling pfice' IN
addition, if the turnover type OF sales
TAX be adopted, InetG Woul@ ~ I,,a a !
percent tax on each stage OF pfouuc-
tion which involved sale =
1t is over sne turnover feaIufe c,Ii OF
the sale tax that the biggest 1lght
seems certain to wage.
Snooots bill is reg regarded eooato comr}if. as eho
basis from Whlch1 t!ie Sgil"Ce 1i Coii,a'.''
tee will work. TINS phi pfoViqes. ts-
'cIn addition to all other taxes
there shall be collected Q @b n 9P9R RP rEAM Az
GOODS, WARES Ok Mhh1I1aN, q.
Disc, sold or leased on ,Ia,+ or 4L'ei Az !
July /, 1921, tax equivalent 10 |
percent of the price for when sold
or leased; such tax to be paid by the
vendor or lessor lo.-. ,,o4
The tax, as may be seen does les, not o..
apply alone to the final sale but e
every transaction along 1ne nnI. :li
from the producer of raw materials
to the retailer Of the tInlshea pro