Exhibitors Herald (Jun-Dec 1917)

EflU E X H I B I T o r s HERALD ■■Br " """"" riflWWilMITlMlllllll^ ■'"IIIIIIMllMWIIIilBIBHUBIWWBWWIUWiWife )T PAY THE TAX In spite of this we find that we have undercharged rather than overcharged. Some of us even after we have collected every pennv of the 15c per reel per day will still have to pay at least 33% of the tax out of our own funds. Some of the undersigned distrihutors have found that the charge to exhibitors should be 22c per reel per day instead of 15c. I The 15c charge is based on a figure which did not take into consideration the additional cost to do business in collecting the tax; additional billing clerks, additional bookkeeping because of additional entries in customers' accounts and additional employees in the auditing department of each home office because of the necessary increase in the auditing. Furthermore, some day the tax will be taken off and at that time we will lhave released a great many subjects on which the tax must be paid, but which tax ■we will be unable to pass along to the public through the exhibitor or any other nchannel. Nor does the 15c charge take into consideration the fact that film's of all ages are constantly being replenished. The undersigned companies must pay the ■ tax on all the subjects which are being reprinted to take the place of worn out |j copies in various Exchanges, even though the subjects were originallv released prior to October 4th. We firmly believe that all distributors MUST pass the tax along. We beI lieve that any distributor that claims to be paying the tax out of his own pocket |f is only seeking to get a little extra business at a critical time by posing as the s: friend of the exhibitor. We believe that such tactics are a menace to the distrib||utor that does it and to the exhibitors, and thus to the whole industry. When the ■ day of reckoning comes we can see nothing but disaster for those who play politics in such a crisis. We urgently advise every exhibitor to start a campaign of education, impressing it upon his patrons that a higher admission price is bound to come, not only because of war taxes ( and more taxes will come) but on account of the abnormal increases in all costs of producing and distributing pictures. Everything else in the line of luxuries or necessities is leaping up in price; but the moving picture business continues to serve the people at the same old figure, or, at most, a small advance. A committee claiming to represent the exhibitors of the United States called upon us recently and threatened various sorts of action against us if we persisted in trying to pass the film tax along to the public through the exhibitors. It threatened to split the whole Industry open at a moment when there is the greatest need of power. Does that committee represent YOU or do you feel that we have taken our tction in the past in good faith and only because necessity compelled us to do so? The government must and will have money. We can't pay it. You can't pay it. All we ask you to do is to open the way to pass it to the public, where all taxes must eventually go. FOX FILM CORPORATION PATHE EXCHANGE, INC. GOLDWYN DISTRIBUTING CORPORATION SELECT PICTURES CORPORATION INTERNATIONAL FILM SERVICE, INC. UNIVERSAL FILM MFG. COMPANY METRO PICTURES CORPORATION GREATER VITAGRAPH WORLD FILM CORPORATION j!iiiBiiiiwiiiiii!!iiii!M mm MmmmMimmmmmmtmmM 29