Life, 1923-03-08 · page 11 of 37
Life — March 8, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features **"LIFE's Income Tax Department,"** a humor column answering readers' tax questions. The large cartoon depicts an **elephant being forced to speak or confess** by a small figure pulling its trunk upward—likely representing the government forcing taxpayers to reveal their financial information. The comic letters below satirize **the complexity and absurdity of early income tax law**. Writers describe contradictory situations: inheriting cars with no tax burden, betting on sports, farming losses from lightning strikes, and currency speculation. The expert's responses are dismissively brief ("That isn't class, it's a miracle"), mocking both the byzantine regulations and taxpayers' creative attempts at deductions. The overall message: **income tax enforcement requires extracting reluctant "confessions" from the public.**
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE’S Income Tax Department Conducted by X. S. Proffit, Income Tax Expert to H. R. H. the King of New Rochelle (All communications must be signed. We do not fill out tax’ forms, but will be glad to advise you.) EAR SIR: D As a bond salesman I make $3,000 salary, am mar- ried and have twins. My uncle died in 1922 and left me $10,000 and a Ford. How much surtax do I pay? Cutter Coupon. If you've run the Ford for three months and fed the wins, there is no surtax. The Government owes you a DS. ee Deak SIR: I am a maiden lady, twenty-five and beautiful. I have a fixed income of $50,000 plus amount realized from sale of useless Christmas presents. Can I claim exemption for my Pomeranian? Ima Lone. What's your telephone number? *e* Dear SiR: My wife is suing me for divorce. As a dependent can I claim exemption for her? Georce Goorus. What more do you want? et Dear Sir: I bet my salary on the Yankees in October. In Novem- ber I did the same on Harvard to beat Yale. Under what class is my income? Beta Lorte. That isn’t class, it’s a miracle. . eee Dear Sir: I am a farmer with 200 acres in Vermont, half of which is mortgaged, the other half a mountain. My in- come is received from a dairy business, Last July light- ning struck my barn, killing twenty-three cows, a bull and three calves. Although I sold them to the local abattoir at 130 per cent. profit, I feel that this is a fire loss and de- ductible as such. I also received insurance. Am I right? Ezry TasseL. Right? Yowre a genius. eee Dear Sir: I wish to pay my tax on the installment plan. How do I do it? Ixe Donce. 25 per cent. down and the rest when they catch you. *** Dear Sir: My husband left me four houses, insurance $30,000, and 50,000 German marks which he bought at par. Can I show a loss on these? Sopn1e Sos. You certainly can’t show anything else, unless you use them to paper the four houses. (Continued on page 29) = SS SS “Speak!” SS comicbooks.com