Evening star., 1921-11-28
BILLION DECREASE :.
IN j. 5. REVENUES
Commissioner Blair Reports
Increase in Collection
Costs During 1921.

|
In the government revenues during
the fiscal year 1921 and the increase
In the cost of collection were pointed
out in the annual report Of the bureau
Of internal revenue made public today
Commissioner Blair of the bureau
also made plea for a centralisation
Of the affairs OF the bureau now scat
tered about tho city in seven build
ings. in many Of which the fire risk
is great.
Collections by tho bureau during
the past hscal year totaled s4.6s5,-
00O,765 against $5,407,5S0,251, for the
fiscal year ended June 80, 1890 . de-
crease Of sSl2,57s,4s6. or 15 per cent.
81 Cents for Each 500.
The cost of administering the in
ternal revenue laws for tho year, the
report said. was S40.a0s.7l6 or 81
cents for each 500 collected COM
pared with 55 cents for the preced-
Ing year. However. the report ad-
Ss9,407 for the administration Of the
prohibition and narcotic laws and
$130,000 for the enforcement of the
chiid-labor tox law, which, deducted
from the total, leaves $3S,174,309 or
an equivalent of ~ cents for each
500 in taxes collected.
OF the total taxes collected during
the past year income and profits taxes
aggregated 33,228,l37.673, compared
with $3,956.936,003 in 1920. and mis-
cellaneous collections totaled $780,
S63,o91 against $1.450.6&4,248 in 1920.
The principal decreases In these
taxes were:
On alcoholic liquors, s57.247.7zo; to-
bacco manufactures. $4o.5Ss.sSs; ex-
else taxes. $38.53S,121.
These decreases. the report said,
were materially offset by increases Of
estate tax. sso.!o9. .ss7;. Transportation
and tslegraph. Sl2.1S4.s26. and admis-
sion and dues, $l3.s72.0s3.
Collections Under Dry Act.
Collections under the penalty pro-
visions Of the national prohibition act
during the year totaled $2.152.3S7.
Receipts from distilled spirits. includ-
$s2,5ss,0S5. compared with $s7.s05.275
in 1920, while fermented liquors pro-
duced $25,3S3, against $41.965,874.
During the fiscal year of 1891 there
were produced from materials other
than fruit se,s6S.66s taxable gallons Of
gallons from 1890. while ,s4.9s3,i54
gallons We're removed from bond, an
Increase of 6.77e.z45 gallons over 1890.
Liquids containing more than one
half Of 1 per cent OF alcohol produced
at breweries and de-alcoholizing
plants during the year aggregated
193,446.763 gallons, compared with
2S6, 18s, $50 gallons during the previous
year. while the quantity Of cereal
beverages containing less than one
half Of per cent of alcohol produced
during the year aggregated 2S5,825, $50
gallons, and at the end of the year
there were 27,604.S96 gallons in bond.
as compared with 17,677,370 gallons
on June 80, 1920.
Increase In Emciency.
Increase in the number of tax col
lections districts from sixty-four to
lseventy-four was recommended by
Commissioner Blair as means of in
creasing the efficiency of the internal
revenue service. During the past ten
years, he declared, the work of the
revenue bureau has been entirely
transformed and the number OF tax
payers filing returns has increased
from approximately 100000 to a total
of 100000 annually.
Practically all of the 100000 tax
payers" he said, dealt with collectors
of internal revenue but once each
year. while under present laws the
| monthly returns required of sales tax
payers. together with the quarterly
payment features provided for income
| taxpayers, necessitate II, 200, 900 separ-
ate transactions annually"