The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1925-02-12
COLLECTOR POE
EXPLAINS TAXES
Gives Reasons for Much
Trouble in the Income
Tax Forms-Asks Help

| 1873 delinquent tax notices sent out
by the United States Internal Rev.
enue department the past few weeks
in response to the form which all
employees will recognize as 1O99's
could have been avoided by the SIM
pie insertion of the required knowl-
ledge being placed in the space left
for information about the marriage
status This astonishing statement
was made today by Burns Poe, COL
lector of Internal Revenue who asked
that special care be given by employ
ers of the Washington district to the
filling out of these notices.
This is the time of the year when
the forms are being prepared and
slight effort now will eliminate
weeks of detail work by revenue dep
uties and loss of time to both en-
ployer and employee.
Mr.. Poe stated that a concrete case
would illustrate fully the reason for
the request:
IAN employe, married, received
$500 in 1928. The employer upon his
1899 return sent to the government,
failed to indicate the marriage stat
us. The government official, upon
receiving the n0lice, is puzzled. Is
the taxpayer married and living with
his wife? If so, there is no tax to
pay because of the $500 exemption.
If single. but still the head of fam
| lily, there is no tax bot fine for
failure to file as a single person,
and lastly, if single with no depend
ents, there is fine, a penalty and
tax to pay = all three. Correspond
ence is. entered into, the taxpayer
leaves his work to answer the sum-
mons, the employer frequently must
verify reports thru the bookkeeping
department and unnecessary confu-
sion has been created thruout.
"When l tell you that in this dis
trict alone 100000 1923 returns on
Form 1899 have been received for
verification during the past few
weeks with fully $4,000 of them re-
quiring the constant efforts of four
or five deputies for weeks to salts
factorily trace the requisite informa-
ton so easily inserted in the first
place by the employer, the earnestness
with which / place stress upon this
phase must be easily discerned," con-
tinued the official.
Mr.. Foe calls attention to another
factor, the elimination of which would
add largely to the rapidity and ac-
curacy of the department. 1t is the
placing of correct names of employees.
on this same Form 1899. One exam.
pie will suffice. A man is know as
ED" by his fellow workers and fore
man; as Ed it goes to the bookkeeper
but the employe always signs his
checks and uses the initials 81. E." in
his business dealings. From the CITY
directory, business reports, regist:a-
ton, and various other sources of in
formation, these two names are listed.
However, they are different individ-
uals in so far as the government is
concerned. The same address does
not materially assist, as the two
might be two brothers, father and
son etc. and thus is added another
several thousand to the list of names
to be traced and verified.
| "a moment of serious thot by any
one and realization of the enorm-
Gus amount of extra work entailed
but which could be positively cut off
with help so easily extended to our
revenue service by employers of lab.
or, will be sufficient to account for
my urgent request for a fuller CO.
operation along the lines mentioned"
stated the collector.
Questioning by taxpayers and es-
pecially the foreign elements, has re-
vealed distinct lack of knowledge
as to the amount of net income re-
quired before necessary to file. For
married man living with his wife
on the last day of the year, this has
been raised from $4,000 net income or
over during 1922 and % to $25G0
net income or over in 1924.
Another point is that if an individ-
ual is the head Of family, while his
exemption is $500, nevertheless be-
ing single person, the taxpayer
must file if having net income of
$1,000 Zone thousand) or over. 1t was
explained that the last phase of fill
ing limit is peculiar in the persisten-
cy with which it is misunderstood.
To all taxpayers who are obliged
to make out 1924 partnership returns,
Burns Poe has dropped a word OF
advice.
/ The number of days between now
and March Is is not long enough to
\ give unlimited time for tax work. The
new law is rather more involved than
L - u