The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-12-14
UNCLE SAM TAKES
IN Less MONEY
DECREASE OF 30 Per CENT IN
INTERNAL REV ekue BUREAU
COLLgSt,U.s Last VAR.
TOTAL WAS s3.l97,4sl,o83
BY EDWARD 8. CLARK

by eOWAnO .. SIShN
Neutrality-suspicious. Is 10 soine ex'
tent a Statistical letter, but occasional
ly hSures coupled ny With tax inc's
are MOI un,nieIestIIig. Tie annual re-
pot OF the commissioner of internal
revenue Tor the ns,ui year which eid'
ed June ~ last has just been mnde
public.
Last year the operations Of the IN
ternai revenue bureau resulted III the
collection Of $3,l: .I5l.OS3 rs conn
pared with $I.;t.I5,,h7 .O6l in the fiscal
year which ended June ~. 1871. The
decrease In about billion and q third
dollars. or roughly. ~ per cent.
Il Is probable that the average
American citizen would like to know
how much II costs to collect the taxes
In the United States. Here ID what
Commissioner Blair has to say upOn
the subject:
"The cost Of administering the In
ternal revenue laws for the fiscal year
1922. was $Il.57I.37+.+g This dies
not include expendii ures from the ap-
prop iatiOns for refunding Internal
revenue collections and for refunding
taxes legally collected. which are In No
sense administrative expenses. but are
properly deductions from the gross re-
ceipts The cost Of operation for the
year on this basis was $1.3O for each
500 collected. compared with 81 cents
for the preceding year. Included In
these expenditures, however. was w.
2O2. 723.O7 for the administration Of the
prohibition and narcotic laws tOf
which amount $65S. 72S.77 was for the
enforcement of the narcotic law) ami
$4,000 for the enforcement Of the
child-labor section Of the revenue act
Of 1918. Deducting these amounts
from the total, leaves 81. 2S86 AZ as
the expenditure for collecting the In.
ternal revenue taxes for the fiscal
year 1922. which Is equivalent to 81 o.
for each 500 collected. The cost OF
collection on a similar basis for the
fiscal year 1921. was e cents for each
500 collected.
'sThe difference In the relative cost
Of collection for the fiscal years 1927
and 1922 In due mainly to the large re
ducttOn In the revenues for 1922. In.
cident to the shrinkage In business
and incomes. the repeal Of certain mis-
cellaneous war taxes and various pro.
visions of law, such as the amortixa'
ton Of wartime facilities and the In.
crease In individual exemptions con-
tanned In the revenue act of 1921, with
the consequent reduction In the In
come tax liability Of corporations and
individuals"
Wee Of ciSarsttss. Increasing.
II 10 possible to get something Of ar
IDEA Of the extent Of the smoking
chewing and snufing habits Of the PEG
Die of the country from q glance al
the table Of taxes prepared BY thu
tobacco division Of the Internal rev
enue bureau. The total receipts from
| all tobacco taxes during the fsca
year were Sgd. 759, SS4. an increase o
| SlS,6s0. 80S. The taxes on tobacco In
| creased something more than pc
cent over the preceding year. II 4
said that more cigarettes and fewe
| cigars are being smoked year by yea
by the American people. Apparently
the women are sticking to cigarettes
and rome men are dropping their q
cars to take up the paper weights.
Prohibition has gradually increase
the work Of the internal revenue HI
reau. During the last fiscal year
complete reorganization Of the activt
ties Of the prohibition unit was effect
ed. Commissioner Blair says this ha
resulted In more efficient and exps
ditious work. The nature of the Ia
bors Of the prohibition agents seem
/ TO he generally known throughout tn
country. II might be said. however
that during the year which the repor
covers a prohibition patrol service wa
organized consisting Of six boats o
the submarine chaser type. Thes
boats patrol the Atlantic coast and tn
internal revenue commissioner say
that they have proved effective In tn
prevention of smuggling.
Patrol 0oats on Great Lakes.
On the Great Lakes during the iscs
wear Ave motor patrol boats. each on
Of which can make 33 miles an houI
were put into service. II Is said tina
they have been extremely serviceabi
In preventing smuggling Of intoxicaI
ing liquor into the United States fror
Canada.
The internal revenue bureau dis
tributes each year an enormous mum
her Of revenue stamps. These ar
printed by the government and turne'
over 10 the internal revenue commits
sioner. who issues them for sale TO IN,
public through the internal revenu
collectors and the Post Office depart
ment.
Last year TOO different kinds o
uamps OF varying denominations wen
issued. The average current stool
supply Of stamps In Of value OF 81.
SOO.OOO.OO0. During the nscal yea
Il "a -