Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-01-06
Where Your
Taxes Go
How Uncle Sam Spends
Your Money in Conduct
ing Your Business
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Author washington CIose-Ups." Banks and
Financial systems" etc. Contributor Political
and Economic Articles to Leading Periodicals
and a Writer Of Recognized Authority on the
National Governments Business Methods
Bv EDWARD G. LOWRY
coDvri0ht. western Newspaper Union
THE BURDEN OF TAXES

Before the war the government OF
the United States spent about one bill
lion dollars a 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, it spent
S51l5.927,6 S9. 80, 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 moth
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.
These expenditures and these heavy
charges are a part of the price of vic
tory. Your whole present problem is
to curtail them. 1t concerns you to
know lust 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 1t.
1t was our money until the govern
ment took it..
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
80, 1922, will be a 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, a 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
fifty-three dollars in taxes to the sup
port of the national government. Ac-
tually it is nearer fifty-four than fifty
three dollars, but l am taking the
smaller sum for the sake of the round
number. That is, the average family
of five persons pays $685. a year out
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 a family of five is something more
than 500. But before any of hat $500
is spent $685. 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 it through
the medium of internal revenue taxes
and customs duties on imported ar
ticles divided as follows:
Per
Capita
Income and excess profit. ..... 1920
Cigars and tObacco............. PIT
Transportation and other utili-
ties 2.72
Autos, candy, furs, jewelry, etc. 2.52
Beverages 1.S6
Special taxes on capital STOCK,
etc. .JJ
Estate inheritance .......... .97
Stamps on legal papers, etc.. 70
Admissions to amusements, etc. IT
Insurance and miscellaneous. %
Total .$53.7T