The Republican., 1921-12-29
".
THE BURDEN OF TAXES


the first full fiscal year after fighting
stopped, the government spent in
round figures six billion four hundred
million dollars. In the fiscal year 1921,
that is, up to June 30, 1921, it spent
S5,115, ,927, ,6S9.30, and in the fiscal year
of 1922, which will end on June 30,
1922, it will spend more than four bill
lion dollars, says Secretary Mellon of
the Treasury Department.
These figures include interest on the
public debt which amounts to about
one billion dollars, but include moth
ing for sinking fund or other debt re-
demptiOn. Including both interest and
sinking fund, the government will
spend more than four times as much
the fiscal year 1922 as it spent yearly
before the war.
These expenditures and these heavy
charges are a part of the price Of vic
tory. Your whole present problem is
to curtail them. 1t concerns you to
know just how these immense sums
We're gathered and how much you paid
and are paying toward them, for Of
course we, the tax payers, the men and
women with jobs, the men and women
who have what the census calls gain
full occupations paid every cent of it.
1t was our money until the govern
ment took IL.
Let US examine the fiscal year 1920.
/ have not the detailed account for
hr1f / fsh ln
year previous, as the year ending June
80, 1922, will be slightly less burden
on us than the year preceding. Ac-
cOrding to a careful analysis made by
the late DR.. L. b. Rosa, of the United
States bureau of standards, govern
ment scientist who was deeply and in
telligently interested in the subject,
every man, woman ana child in this
country contributes an average Of
fifty-three dollars in taxes to the sup
port of the national government. Ac-
tually it is nearer fifty-four than fifty
three dollars, but l am taking the
smaller sum for the sake Of the round
number That is the average family
of five persons pays $500 q year out
Of its earnings TO the federal govern
ment alone, in addition to what is
paid for state, county and city taxes
The estimated average yearly income
of n family of five is something more
than 500 But before any Of that 500
is spent S265 must be turned over to
the general government to run the
business of the United States.
The actual amount thar each one Of
us paid was S53.77. We paid it through
the medium Of internal revenue taxes
and customs duties on imported ar
ticles divided as follows:
Per
Capita
Income and excess profit. $37 20
Cigars and tobacco. 2.77
Transportation and other utill-
Ties NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2.I2
Autos, candy, furs, Jewelry, etc 252
Beverages Observation-Disclosures. IS6
Special taxes on capital stock,
elc' .SJ
Estate Inheritance ..... 81
Stamps on legal papers, etc.. 70
Admissions to amusements, etc. II
Insurance and miscellaneous. %
Total ...... S5377
The taxpayer is next of kin to the
treasury. At any rate he is the first
person notified when the treasury
needs money, and he always has to dig
down into his jeans for whatever is
needed. Taxpaying, even more than
charity, begins at home. The boys
best friend is his mother. but the tax
payers only friend is himself. The
only thing that can be done for him Is
to disclose as vividly as possible how
much his government is costing and
| let him decide what he will do about
| Ii. 1t all comes down to this: The
more money the government spends
| through defective organization or eX-
or save.
So much for the cost of the national
business we support. We are all mi
| nority stockholders. The concern has
no other source of revenue than our
contributions. 1t doesn't make any
money. In times like these, when al
most everybody feels that he gets too
little for what he sells and has to pay
too much for what he buys, 1t seems
to me the least we can do is to take
an active and intelligent interest In
thiG'great common enterprise Of ours
and make sure that 1t is well organ
lied; that 1t doesn't waste or spend
extravagantly that the employees are
paid an adequate wage and have
proper working conditions; that their
morale is kept high and their enthu-
siasm in our interest undated; in fine,
that as a business it shall be conduct
cd as efficiently and economically and
on as modern scientific principles as
any large private business.
! Is it2
That is "A question you must answer
for yourself after have acquainted
you with the actual situation and con
dition.