Evening star., 1952-10-05
Sparkman's Tax Data
DiscIoses Earnings Of
SS9,497 in 8 Years
CONTINUED From First Page.)

Continued From First Page.)
the Democratic nominees make
public their personal financial sit
uation. Senator Nixon voiced the
demand in his dramatic Los An
geles broadcast in which he sought
to justify his privately raised $18,-
600 expense fund and related to-
the country what he said was his
entire personal financial history.
Eisenhower Data on Way.
Gov. Stevenson went beyond the
direct words of the Nixon chal-
lenge and last Monday released
his income tax returns for the
past 10 years. Aides announced
that Gen. Eisenhower. the Repub-
lican candidate for President.
would do the same as soon as the
information could be compiled.
Senator Nixon has been quoted
as saying he would not go beyond
the history of his financial stand
ing as given in the radio and tele-
vision broadcast by making public
his own income tax returns.
Senator Sparkman had promised
to make public his returns for the
past 10-year period. But he ex-
planned that he had been unable
to locate Immediately the returns
for the years 1941, 1912 and 1943.
He said, however. the returns
for those years would reflect an
income about the same as that for
1914. That year he showed a gross
income of $9,493.52.
In most of the years covered in
the eight-year period Senator
Sparkman reported gross in
come less than his salary as a
member of the House and Senate
during which he received first
$4,000 a year and then $12,50O
after Congress voted an increase
in pay for its members.
Office Expenses Deducted.
He explained that the gross in
come figure was less, even though
it included additional income de-
rived from rentals and dividends.
because of Office expenses deduct
ible from his Government pay.
These expenses, he pointed out,
were separate from the regular
$2,5O0 expenses now allowed each
member of Congress.
The term gross income is often
used to mean total income before
any deductions but this obviously
was not the sense in which Sena-
tor Sparkman used it. The fig
ures he used could be called "ad-
justed gross income" according
to tax authorities. That is the
term employed by the Internal
Revenue Bureau to denote the
figure that remains after deduc-
ton of certain business and pro-
fessional expenses.
Senator Sparkman read off the
figures from his Alabama and
Federal tax returns indicating he
had paid Federal income and other
Federal taxes totaling about $18,-
600 for the eight-year period. '-
He used the Alabama State re-
turn for the years since 1948 dur
ing which he and Mrs. Sparkman
have been filing Federal returns as
allowed under the law. He 'ex-I
planned he did this in order tol
separate his own income from that
of Mrs. Sparkman and emphasized
that in each year the figures
we're. the same for both Federal
and State returns. The Seantor
said he and Mrs. Sparkman file |
separate returns in Alabama.
Tax Payments Listed. |
But IN some instances it was |
not entirely clear just what Fed
eral income taxes Senator Spark I
man paid in the years covered by
a Joint return. This was due, he
pointed out, to the fact that the /
Alabama returns from which he
took the figures did not at first /
specifically require the listing of
payments for Federal income I
taxes apart from other Federal
taxes.
His returns listed these Federal /
tax payments, all for income un-
less otherwise Indicated:
1851, $2,469.48; 1850, $2,226.30
THAT was the amount listed by
Senator Sparkman on his Ala
bama return as Federal taxes de-
ductible in the State; withholdings
that year from his Government
pay totaled 1850; 1949. 81, ,928.6 |
{this was listed in the Alabama
return as deductions of Federal
income and other allowable Fed
-eral taxes); 1948, $2,574.44; 1947,
$2,614.46; 1916, $4,414.07; 1945, I
81 2,081 SO, and 1914, $2,132.50.
p Senator Sparkman said Office
expenses deducted from his regu-
lar Government salary went for
such things as moving his office
back to Alabama while Congress
was not in session.
Wife Has Investments
While refusing to go into Mrs.
Sparkman's income, tax returns,
the Senator said she has some |
income from her own investments.
These include investment certi- |,
fieates and $4,000 or $4,000 for
a 49 per cent interest in a radio
station operated at Albertville,
Ala, by her nephew by marriage.
Senator Sparkman said the sta
ton, catering to farmers and
their interests, is doing very well"
For her work in the Senator's /
Office Mrs. Sparkman receives al
base salary of $4,500 a year. SEN
ate disbursing officers said pay in
creases voted by Congress would |
mean a total salary now of about |
$500.