Evening star., 1938-03-20
BY w. b. RAGSDALE,

BY w. b. RAGSDALE,
Associated Press Stat Writer.
About one dollar of every five earned
in the United States goes to pay taxes
Perhaps it could not accurately be
said that the man who makes $1,000
q year pays 5000 of it for taxes. or
that the man who makes $4,000
year pays out $1,000 of it for the
services that are supplied by his 1885,
600 governments. He does not directly,
Of course. Yet, if it were possible for
him to strip off, layer by layer, the
taxes that are wrapped around every
article he buys, and add them up at
the end Of year, the total would be
surprising.
But that can't be done, though by
Ear the greater portion of the taxes
ultimately are paid by the men and
women who 60 out to buy things that
they need to eat or wear or use. They
are simple purchases and no tax re-
ceipt is given. The taxes on land and
buildings, pay rolls and many other
things are all considered a part of
the operating expenses of the busi-
ness man and as such are put into
the price of the goods he sells.
OF course. the business man has
taxes to pay, too. Some of them are
Of such nature that he can't pass
them on. Others are those that are
passed along to him, slyly, in the
prices OF things that he has to buy
for his own use. 1t works out into a
fine game of drop the handkerchief
with every one trotting around the ring
IN turn, trying to tag his neighbor.
OF the some thirteen billions of
taxes paid in the United States every
year, between five and half and six
billions go to the Federal Govern
ment. Between two and a half and
three billions go to the States.
In 1900, the Federal Government
was spending So for every citizen. In
1880, 1t spent S32 for every person.
In 1887, the last year for which COM
plete figures are available. the State
and local governments spent another
you Tor every man, woman and child.
Since there has been no widely ad
Vertlsed cessation of spending bv
State and local governments during
the last two years, it might be fair
to lay that figure on top of the Fed
eral one for 1887 which would give
Sl23 that was spent for each citizen
IN 1887. The Federal spending figure
was S6 per person lower in 1885 than
1t was in 1887. Federal, State and
local governments spent SLIT per citi-
zen in 1885
II the calculations be carried a
step further, the Federal, State and
local governments are spending S18
year for each citizen more than
they are collecting in revenue. The
total tax collections amount to about
SlO2 for each person. The three
governments are spending between
two and two and a half billions a
year more than they are taking in.
The most thorough analysis of
taxes, spending and trends is that by
a group OF experts working under the
auspices of the Twentieth Century
Fund. They made several charts of
future tax and spending prospects.
approaching the subject both from
the standpoint of governmental func-
tons and from that of spending
trends. In no case did they figure
that there was any likelihood that
government was going to be cheaper
during the next few years.
Dependent upon the method by
which they went at the problem their
estimates of the total cost of Federal,
State and local government by 1910
ranged from fourteen and half to
nineteen and half billion dollars,
or from one and half to six and a
half billions a year higher than it is
running now.
Quite a few of the State and local
governments have trimmed their
spending during the depression,
though the total for all government
has continued to grow. Relief has
added much to the costs. Public
building to give jobs has called for
billions. And the normal functions
OF maintaining an Army and Navy,
providing highways and schools sup
plying police and fire protection-all
these push up the total
But aside from these highly neces-
sary expenditures, taxpayers digging
into the cost sheet of government
Federal, State and local-have un-
earthed some figures that did not
appear to some of them to be wholly
necessary
In some cases, they found ST
cab fares charged up for ride of
two blocks. One State was billed for
$40 wastebaskets which taxpayers
found could be bought for rs cents.
They found one ofi1ceholder who was
paid salary to teach housewives how
to fry fish. In one city, nine watch
men We're hired to guard nine rooms
IN the county courthouse. Highly
interesting items have been found on
congressional expense accounts after
some of their Investigations. They
nave ranged from charged water to
a $40 tip for chambermaid.
Such things are odd or humorous
VA WIN i6AG dangerous SYMPTOMS,
according to the mirror in which they
are viewed. Some writer's point them
out as unusual happenings. Others
poke fun at such incidents. Still 9th.
ers say they indicate, at the very least,
menacing lack of thought in the
spending of public money.
Probably the closest estimate of the
number of persons supported by gov
ernment is that worked out by SEN
ator Byrd of Virginia. He says one
OF every six persons gets his or her
living from one of the various gov
ernments.
Even this is conservative figure,
though it runs to considerably more
than twenty million. 1t is pieced to-
gether from actual figures and rough
estimates. The Byrd figure includes
the employees of Federal, State and
local governments; the Army, Navy.
c. c. c., pensioners of various kinds
and their dependents.