The cigarette habit among women has
brought a new style of Jewelry Into the
shops on which the Government collects a
tax on the higher value*. This Is the
woman's cigarette case, Last yeaT the Gov
ernment revived $25,000,000 hi taxes on
this unci other article? of jewefcryi
Despite unemployment, falling price* ami
other considerations American citizens arc
paying an ever Increasing amount of so
called luxury taxes. Returns to the Infer
nal Revenue Bureau of the Treasury show
billions are spent e8Ch year on article*
ranging from dirk knives And fancy toilet
soaps to passenger automobiles and acces
sories thnt are not generally regarded as
necessities of ll/e.
In the last fiscal year, the first full year
of manufacturers', dealers' and consumer*'
excise taxe*, the Treasury collected $903,.
827,404 on sales of chewing gum, candy,
soft drinks, toilet soaps, medicinal articles
perfumes, clothing, articles made of fur,
pianos and musical Instruments, admissions
and sums spent for railroad travel.
In the sir months from the end of the
fiscal year, .Tune 30 last, collections from
these same sources have totalled upward of
a billion and a half dollars. The present
fiscal year will probably set a high record.
Increases run all dmvn the llnei
The present schedule of luxury faxes will
probably run to the end of tho present year,
though such taxes are strongly opposed by
many business men, by certain Treasury
officials and In Congress. They are cei>
thinly not popular.
Vast Loss to Government
By Laxity in Collection*
Returns from the consumers' and dealers'
excise taxes under the existing law are
hut half of those estimated by Joseph S.
McCoy, Government Actuary, who has never
been known to be far wrong on advance
figures of the result of any given tax.
