The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-08-03
PRESENT TAX Rates AND
TARIFF DUTIES ON TOBACCO

The Internal Revenue Taxes impos-
ed on Tobacco by the War Revenue
Act are extraordinarily high, even
for commodity that has always been
subjected to more or less 0nerous tax
alton.
Coupled with the customs duties on
imported raw tobacco used in the
manufacture OF Cigars and Cigarettes
they constitute such substantial part
of the selling price Of our products as
is hardly ever realized by the consum-
ing public.
Applying these taxes and duties to
the three distinct. types of tobacco
Products, we find that on
/. Cigars-They run from approx
imatcly 4-10th of cent on each of the
pure domestic cigars selling at 5 cents
or less to over 9 cents on each perfcc-
to retailing at from so to 35 cents;
while on
2. Ciearcttcs-Tthcy run from 6
cents on each package of 20 for 20
cent cigarettes manufactured of Do
mcstic Lc"f, to 4.2S cents on each
package OF 10 cigarettes manufac-
turcd of pure Turkish Tobacco, the
great bulk Of which arc sold ut IS
cents per package.
3. Tobacco-Which is practically
all manufactured Of Domestic Leaf,
is taxed to the extent Of 18 cents per
pound, the manufacturers selling
price Of which average about ST.
Even undcr these extraordinarily
high rates, consumption kept up to Il
satisfactory degree during the pros
porous War-Days; while the yield to
tie Government from Internal Rcvcn-
ue Taxes alone rose from $50 900 900
IN PrcWar Days to $295 300 900 dur
ing the fiscal year l919-2O, to which
approximately $25 100000 was added
by the Customs Duties previously re
fcrrcoz, 2.
The prosperous War-Days have
however p&sscd. a period of dcnation
has set M, commodity prices are be-
ing lowered; wages arc coming down;
the popular demand for lower living
costs is incrcasing; more equal distri-
button OF taxes in the face Of dccrcas-
ed earnings on the part of the people
is dcmandcd. How greatly this change
has affected the Tobacco Industry is
clearly evidenced by the fact that
since the month Of July. last there has
been 4 steady decline in the consump-
tlon of cigarettes and tobacco, with
TIE exception of February (the March
figures arc not yet avaiiab!c) at vary
ing rates. The loss Of cigar2tte bust
'>''' i''' ii'S, it'it'lttl dS IlSn dS ~ per
cent n Dec 'mbcr and tohs Geo as high
as 10 per cent i'm the same month
While clears, having started their de-
cline III December, with loss of over
23 per cent, have shown Substantial
decreases every month since then, in
Guiding the inoath of February. The
aggregate loss bctWce3 the months Of
December End February, both inclu-
slve, amounted to 23.G per cent. The
"%Grcgatc loss Of internal revenue re-
ceiptH from tobacco products for the
seven months ending January 81,
1921, as compared with the same
period for the previous year amounts
to $32,520, 10000
In view Of this decline in consump-
Atl"" ""d ~" popular clamor for low
Pl .".r g.. .0 consider the increases
s2f m 'ug ing prices Of tobacco
%p " prewar days.
F, ',' of common know
g f." w.n the exception of to-
D ....'" there is scarcely a
{, CO u. did not increase in
'p .' .a"' 1885,. to 300 per cent. Let
u H with what happened
II .1. ... ."'. tusrosr.
Ng. t~ oDoIo from the
Prices, During the