Evening star., 1934-03-15
INCOME TAX LINE
| IS SHORT DESPITE
| WARNING OF FINE
Surprisingly Small Crowd
Gathers as Midnight
Time-Limit Nears.
OFFICIAL BROADCASTS
| THREAT OF PENALTY
One-Fourth of Amount Will Be
Assessed for Delay in
Filing Returns.

AS revenue officials repeated warn
lngS OF a 25 per cent penalty against
income taxpayers who fail to file
their returns before midnight, a sur
prlsingly small crowd appeared today
at the local office of the deputy COL
lector of internal revenue, Twelfth
street and Constitution avenue.
The office, located in room 1902,
Internal Revenue Building, will be
open until midnight to help taxpayers
and receive their returns. Returns
also may be mailed to the office. or
to the collector of internal revenue
at Baltimore, although, the regula-
tions provide that they must be in the
mail in time to reach these Offices be-
fore midnight. Officials in the past
have been lenient if the postmark is
dated before midnight, but the regu-
lations actually provide that the re-
turn must have been mailed in time
to be delivered to the collector or his
deputy before the deadline.
Rush Expected Later.
Government pay day today was ex-
pected to bring rush of taxpayers at
the local Office after the Government
dismisses at 4:30 pm. Many Federal
employees had taken the trouble to
notify the deputy collector they could
not pay until they received their
money.
Warning of a penalty if returns
were not made by tonight was made
by Charles T. Russell, deputy commits
sioner Of internal revenue in a radio
address last night over WJSV.
BY midnight" said Mr.. Russell, IF
you have failed TO file an income tax
return for the calendar year 1888, you
will have failed in your duty to your
Government, and will have made
yourself liable for additional costs be-
cause of penalties that by law attach
to the amount that you otherwise
have to pay. These penalties are Sc
we're, amounting to one-fourth of the
total tax
Where failure to file returns is
willful and where it appears that the
individual intended to defraud the
Government of its proper tax, We are
compelled to present the persons case
to the courts, so that he may be pun
Shed as the law directs"
Mr.. Russell warned that employers
were making reports on the amount
of money paid to their employees. so
the employees should make accurate
and honest returns, or they will be
caught when an audit is made COM
pairing the employees returns with the
employers reports Of what was paid.
Warned of Audit.
when we do not find a return
from an individual to whom we are
advised payments have been made" "
said Mr.. Russell in this connection" /"
he must stand the consequences pro-
vided by law. And it is also our
practice to examine various other
records which will aid us in ascer-
tanning persons who have failed in
their duty"
No explanation could be made for
the small crowd at the deputy COL
lector's Office this morning. Whereas
the lines have formed into long
queues in the corridors in previous
udNS ILLS week, IlleIe WtLt OIlIy n
few people waiting in the big room
this morning where many deputy COL
lectors were on duty to advise tax
payers and administer the oath free
of charge.
Yesterday also saw a much smaller
crowd than the day before. There
were only 1882 persons at the office
yesterday, as contrasted to 1850 on
Tuesday.
The Treasury announced today that
March income tax collections have
pushed revenue from this source for
the fiscal year above the 1888 figure.
On March 13, the latest day avail
able, income taxes since last July l
had paid the Government s397, ,918,-
076. as compared with 1896, $50, ,749
in the 1888 fiscal year.
For March, S39,711 ,087 has been
collected, as compared with S13,641,- =
106 last March when an extra two
weeks was allowed for returns be-
cause Of the bank holiday.