Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 May 1917 — $33 PER CAPITA IT WAR TAX BILL [ARTICLE]

$33 PER CAPITA IT WAR TAX BILL

$1,800,000,000 Revenue Measure Presented in House —Every Home is More or Less Affected. Washington, May 9. —The war tax bill extending its excises to the fabric of every American home, was formally presented to the house today by the ways and means committee with plans for quick passage. As h foretaste of what may come later, it proposes special taxes to raise sl,800,000,000 in addition to the present noral annual revenue of $1,500,000,000. When its terms are effective the American people will be paving direct taxes of $33 per capita. The people of the British isles —half as many—now pay per capita of S6O. While the principal features of the new war levy are the increasing income and profit taxes, increases in internal revenue rates and increases of customs dutibs, many of its provisions reach the innermost structure of every home and make up a list of taxes probably the most formidable ever faced by the American people. The household light, heat and telephone bills, admission tickets to the amusements, fire and life insurance, i ail way tickets, automobiles, tires and tubes, soft drinks, postage rates, golf clubs and baseball bats, club dues an J a. host of other everyday necessities or luxuries come under the taxation. Increased postage rates on newspapers, are such that publishers 'sav they will force many newspapers out of business. Already protests against many features of the law are pouring in and attacks upon it will center in the senate finance committee, which will conduct .public hearings on it and probably make some amendments. On presenting the hill the committee made this report: “After carefully considering the experience of the European countries at war the committee believs it is sound economic policy for the present generation to bear a fair and equitable portion of the burden of financing the war and recommend that the remaining contemplated expenses of the government for the remainder of this and' the whole of the next fiscal year be raised by taxation.” The list of articles and taxes upon them are given in another article in this paper.