The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1955-02-25
@ L / M P S E S
TIL E P A S T
BY CAROLYN Lloyd

This week let us consider a
mystery; namely, "The Case of
the Vanishing Paycheck". Actu-
ally, no detective is needed to
solve this mystery, as any recip-
lent of paycheck can easily tell
why it is vanishing and where to.
Once upon a time when life and
the government were less compli-
Gated, if worker, white collar or
otherwise, earned 5000 month,
he received a check for that
amount. He could say to himself,
"a poor thing, but mine own"
Not so today. BY the time all de-
auctions are made, the check
bears little resemblance to the
salary on the contract or the
wages agreed upon between en-
ployer and employee. The first
and largest deduction is made for
federal income tax; the second,
for social security or retirement,
as the case may be. Now, l would
not say that this plan is other
than wise and good. The first
saves the day for the improvident
(like mel, who could never syste-
matically save for the date when
income tax is due. The second is
about the only way salaried per-
son today can provide for the fu-
ture, the cost of living being what
it is. l concede that | am much
better off for having benevolent
Uncle Sam and watchful state
retirement system to look after
those little things for me; at the
same time, it would be nice, just
once to receive check made out
in round numbers for the amount
for which / signed contract to
work. The system seems a little
like giving a child fine toy and
telling him that he must put it up
and not play with it until he is
older.
The aforementioned deductions
we have accepted and become ac-
customed to. And now the august
legislators of the State of North
Carolina are proposing that an
other hand be allowed to dip into
the till each month. A bill has
been offered which will authorize
a Withholding tax for state in
come tax. One proponent of the
bill stated that this will be the
fairest way to raise the extra
revenue needed by the state be-
cause it will affect everyone alike.
Salaried people are naturally
skeptical about that theory. Right
or wrong, one might be pardoned
for disliking the idea of having
another subtraction made from his
weekly or monthly stipend before
he ever gets a chance to see it.
1t looks as though the paper in
dustry might prosper from it all.
There simply isn't going to be
room on the checks of the present
size to list all the deductions. 1t
might be simpler if the state just
established credit for a certain
amount for each of its employees
with the butcher, the baker, and
the electric light maker; then we
wouldn't have to handle any of
that dirty old money at all.
Senator Rodman of Beaufort
County has countered each protest
to a proposed tax with the sug-
gestion that the objector bring
forth a better plan for raising
money. Well, 1 confess that l have
no better solution to offer, so it
will do no good to join in the
chorus of "You can't do that to
u.s., that has gone up from the
bottling industry, the tobacco in
dustry, and many others. They
can, they probably will, and may
be it is the best way; but l still
can't help wishing they would just
let me hold that green stuff in my
hands little while before bidding
it fearful farewell.