Evening star., 1925-11-10
Tax Publicity
and Everybody's Business
BY WILLIAM p. HELM. JR.

III ,015. These two companies made
&c per cent Of all the profits reported
in their class The total number Of
such companies was 3,4l9.
There arc no figures. unfortunately,
to show tho volume of business done
by these 1863 big and powerful cor
porations. Tho only available figures
show that they made. among them,
SO per cent or all the money made
by corporations In the United States.
If that relative percentage can be
properly applied to tho business or
The country these 1853 corporations
alone transacted business to the vol
ume of about $45 900 600, 900 In 1923.
Following the same line Of applica-
tion. the larger group OF money
| making corporations. totaling l,O26,
did "A. volume Of business estimated
1T upward of SIS 900 100000, and the
remaining 397 900 corporations dl-
Vided among them the remaining
business done throughout the Unlted
States, which amounted to about
$40 900 900 900.
From this showing It should not
be assumed that there was anything
improper in the method or conduct
ing American business. Indeed. the
ness are proud of the showing ana
point TO II as proof of the conten-
lion that ample capital, thorough or
ganization and applied business
methods on q mammoth scale are
essential to survival in the present
fierce competition in all markets OF
the world. ,,..,
The figures indicate that the little
fellow is losing out, that the plS COT
poration with millions OF WORKING
capital is attracting the Drains oL
business America and alons Is max
ing progress. Exceptions there are
OF course, to the rule, but the RUE III
the main is supported by the uoE-
ernment's figures.
The figures also show another
striking thing-that the sum paid out
annually by the country's corpora
t;ons. little as well as large, is match-
ed almost dollar for dollar, by the
sum paid out by those same cor
porations for taxes.
In 1923 the corporations paid their
executives a grand total Of S2,575 ,o0O,-
400 in salaries That averages about
$1,000 for each corporation lncIud-
ing the small fry along with the Dig
fellows. The Government hSures
also show that the corporations pald
o,,t as taxes a grand total of S2,oIV,-
600 600 on 1928 business. That IN.
cludes State and local taxes, as Wen
as Federal income tax. The average,
again, is about $500 for each cor
poration
In addition, the figures show that
more than half of all the corporations
making money in 1928 enjoyed an av-
er.ace income of less than 5000 "a
wear: about one-third, in fact, had in
come of 81 900 or less during the year.
Here, then, the figures shed llSht
on the two extremes: multiplicity
Of small corporations, struggling
along without much hope for the fu-
ture, many of them losing, rather
than making; and a small, compact
group of giant companies, about one
out OF every 2,5Oo in the business,
making money hand over fist, closing
the year with SO per cent OF all cor
porations' net profits locked In their
vaults.
The country has never seen the like
before. not even in the palmiest days
of the trust busting Roosevelt. Big
business has grown so big that 1t is
crowding its little playmates out of
the field. The figures show it-and
they are official. But there Is another
difference between today and the cor
poration- smashing yesterday, and that
difference is the difference in their
methods
Today, if one may judge by the rec
ord, American business Is done in the
open: yesterday, much of It was
| transacted in the dark.
tCopyriEht. 1921