Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1921-12-28
Copyright. Western Nswspapsr Unios
THE BURDEN OF TAXES

before the war the government OIf
the United States spent about one bill:
lion dollars year for all purposes,
including interest on the public debt.
In the fiscal year ending June 80, 1920,
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 80, 1921, 1t spent
$5,115, 927, 6s9.3O, and in the fiscal year
Of 1922, which will end on June 80,
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 noth-ss
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. go .:,s. ..<s
These expenditures and these heavy
charges are a part Of the price Of vic
tory. Your whole present problem Is
to curtail them. It concerns you to
know just how these immense sums
were 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 it. -. !. 1s@75
Let us examine the fiscal year 1920.
l have not the detailed account for
1921, but it was slightly less than the
year previous, as the year ending June
30, 1922, will be slightly less burden
on, us than the year preceding. Ac-
cording to a careful analysis made by
the late DR.. e. B. Rosa, of the United
States bureau of standards, govern
ment scientist who was deeply and in
diligently interested in the subject,
every man, woman and child in this
country contributes an average of
ffty-three dollars in taxes to the sup
port Of the national government. Ac-
tually it is nearer ffty-four than fifty
three dollars, but I am taking the
smaller sum for the sake Of the round
number. That is the average family
of five persons pays $265 a year but
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 family of five is something more
than $500. But before any Of that 500
is spent 1895 must be turned over to
the general government to run the
business of the United States.
The actual amount that each one OF
us paid was $53.77. We paid 1t through
the medium of internal revenue taxes
and customs duties on imported ar
ticles divided as follows: ~. Y, '.a,'s5
- >. ~: a. -. Per T.,
49,. -: s& 49, ~ Capita
Income and excess profit. $3.50
Cigars and tobacco. ....... 2,77
Transportation and other utili-
= ties ....... -. .......... AZ
Autos, candy, furs, jewelry, etc. $50
Beverages .......:.......... 1856
Special taxes on capital stock,
. +. -" -
elC. ........ .00
Estate inheritance ............ 81
Stamps on legal papers, etc.. 20
Admissions to amusements, etc. II
Insurance and miscellaneous. %
Total ........ $5s.77
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 >'.EaEEzose as wildly as possible how
much his government Is costing and
let him decide what he will dol about
it. It all comes down to this: The
more money the government spends
through defective organization or ex-
travagance the less you have to spend
/ or save. Ss.
So much for the cost Of the national