The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-09-09
PUBLIC TAX LISTS WILL
& 4 JOY TO SHOPPERS
.,,ooMEs ARE TO BE POSTED
UNDER A NEW LAW PASSED
Nv THE LATE CONGRESS. (
cAIISES TAX PAYERS WORRY

o..des Exposing Private Affairs the
OI Msy Law Will Afford Fine Oppor-
.,ritv for Gossips. Will Also In
crease Mailing List Nuisance.
Game fine day next year all persons
~ ' nav income tax to the federal
WIZ will wake up to ind their
s O.l,s addresses and amounts OF tax
n nad Toosted in a great list at the OF
Eas n the district collector OF internal
NV sren NJ and perhaps also at postot-
i... and other public places. 1t is
nsa, OF the new revenue act,
p-t;cb excited much attention when
W.. %~ law was in final critical stages OF
"" aars;deration two or three months
sgo Now the treasury is working out
niles and regulations for application
a ~ tbe provision, says Washington
G,ostch, Those who do not like the
.rr5,ngemcnt call it the "Peeplng
Tom law.
Paradise for Shoppers.
4nv person can look over the
r.,s and calculate with fair accuracy
1 1i,s income of a taxpayer by taking
into consideration the family depend
encv that IS, the number OF children
and other items determining deduc-
tons. Thus we may expect to near
conversations like this:
DO YOU realize that our friends,
the Browns, must have an income OF
ten thousand or more? | saw Brown S
income tax in the collectors list and
was surprised at it. They live SO
economically"
Or this:
"Neighbor Smith, you know, really
doesn't make much. His family lives
we'll and makes a show, but l saw by
the income tax records that he paid
less than | did last year.
Or perhaps this:
That company seems to be dong
poor business, according to its tax
return
The amount OF tax paid will be as
much matter of public record as the
assessment on a piece OF property or
the decision of court. The difference
is that heretofore mans income has
been assumed to be very personal
and intimate thing, to be disclosed t.?
the tax collector in confidence, and
onlv for purposes of aiding in deter
mination OF the proper tax due and IN
evasion OF the tax responsibility. Now
the amount of tax paid is to be open
10 the world 1t is the new law OF
the land.
Posted in Spring.
The lists will be posted along IN
April or May of next year, according
to present plans. They will show tax
PAYABLE on incomes for this year, IVA,
on returns to be filed on or before
March IS, 1925.
In smaller communities the pubhc1-
y provisions will make more neigh
Dor to neighbor gossip. There Is moth
ing to prevent the leading information
sprcaders in the smallest hamlet in the
United States from knowing who paid
what, and to pass this along industr1-
ouslv In village stores in the town
garage, in the council meeting, on the
front porch at dusk, in family coun-
ellis, at lodge meetings, wherever PEG
pie meet and discuss personalities, the
subject OF the income tax paid by 30
and So and his calculated income IS
likely to become a spicy subject OF
conversation.
Then NAV come the mailing list
makers and later as a result the ad-
Iertisiug material. From tax records
there can be CLEANED lists OF men who
paid $500 600 or more, those whose
taxes ran around 100000, and all
other classes down the line. The small
Try may escape, and they may not.
The lists are accurate and authorita-
tive and will provide too good an OPP
fortunity for direct by mail adver-
Users to overlook.
Oh course one purpose of this new
plan Is to catch the tax dodgers. Inc
theory is that one man will tell tales
on another, if the list does not contain
the name of the man who should pay
taxes but who does not do it. Or one
man may know that another should
nave paid more than the record shows.
Alarm Theories Out.
On the other hand, those who con
sder the publicity provision i'll ad-
Nsed believe its tendency will be to
make wealthy men who are sensitive
oyer the amounts of their incomes de-
i0eratcly play down" their reports to
minimize the rich man" talk. Both
are theories, and the utility or alarms
can not be judged now. The only GER
tam thing is that there will be forth
coming lot of good gossip.
State officials, on request OF the
state governor, also must be given &C
g e, to returns of any corporation.
me purpose of this is to enable tax
A'g authorities of states to check state
records in an effort to avoid tax eva
slon. Any one who knows the rules
u Warfare in state politics, however,
may suspect that in some cases the
injuries will not be limited to this
purpose.
Inns entire policy of publicity is a
reversal OF public policy and practice
IL me past. When the income tax
amendment was adopted, in 1913, there
va. was much opposition on the ground
a nat mans income was too private a
natter to be subjected to public re-
poI's to the government. Assurances
,GLGe given by friends of the proposal
, n'sl me privacy of tax returns always
.ould be considered inviolable. Laws
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