Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-06-16


fiscal year, as will he seen by the fol
lowing table:
191OACorporation tax .........$ 2O,951, 7SO,g
1911-Corporation tax ......... 33,516 1869
192LCorporation tax ......... 1888, 303. 70
1913-Corporation tax ......... 5000, 299.&
191ECorporation excise tax 1851, 0T.22
1916Corporation income tax 80, 456, 662.6
1914-Individual income tax. %, 253, 534.S5
1915-Emergency r~evenue...... 52,O69. 1853
1915Corporation income tax 80, LEE, $50. n
19l5-Individual income tax. Al, 046, 1920
1916-Emergency ~revenue..... AIS, 302. Ii
1916-Corporation income tax &c, 1893, 657.98
1916-Individual income tax. 7,943, SAG
1917-Emergency 1929 ,553.S8
1917-Corporation income tax 179, 572, 8S7.86
1917-Individual income tax. $50, los, $40. 10
191S-Income and excess prof
its tax .................... Z,S36, 999, 894.2S
1S19AIncome and excess prof
its tax ~z,596,O0S, I02. 70
The number of corporations max
ing income tax returns showing tax
able income, aggregated 52,49S in the
calendar year 1909, and that number
increased to 232,079 for the calendar
year 1917. The number of individuals
making personal income tax returns
aggregated 357, 59S for the calendar
year 1913, and that number increased
to 3,472,890 for the calendar year 1917.
For the fiscal year 1909 the total
ordinary receipts aggregated 5000, $780,
1884, of which $500, III, 933.95 came
from customs duties, $246, 212, 643.59
came from internal revenue, and the
balance was received from the sale of
public lands and other miscellaneous
items; whereas, for the fiscal year
ending June 80, 1919, the total re-
ceiptS from customs amounted to 1884,
457,8 .39, while the internal revenue,
including income taxes and corpora-
ton and excess profits taxes, amounted
to $3.50, $50, 612.O5.
So you will see that until 1910 the
money you paid toward the support
Of the government was slipped away
from you so easily that you hardly
knew anything about 1t. You did not
know that you were paying taxes to
the national government.
Indirect taxation is the most Sc
ductive form of raising public rev.
enue. You never anne in contact with
the federal government except when you
bought a postage stamp. But now you
know it every time you buy a drink at
a soda fountain, or a bottle of medi-
cine, or sand a telegram, or make a
long-distance telephone call, or per-
form any one of a score Of other nor
NAL activities Of daily life. Some
thing must be put in the kitty for the
government. It's annual rakeoff runs
into the billions. You pay it and the
government spends it.
But all that part of the party ia
about over now. The oysters have
been eaten and put in the bill. They
must be paid for. 1t is perfectly clear
that in the future by far the greater
part of the revenue required for con-
Quoting the public business must come
from direct taxes. 1t is also clear
that the ordinary expenses for run-
ming the government will In future
probably exceed four billion dollars a
year. That is a lot Of money to take
out Of your pockets, and mine. Hadn't
we better see what is done with If and
whether we can save any of tn Con
gress, which is very f~ar-sighted. and
able, when its own skin is concerned
to distinguish a hawk from o hand
saw at a very great distance 10 ha-
ginning to take notice.