1943.05.17 “Revenue Program”
by Clifford Kennedy Berryman (1869-1949)
14 x 14 in., ink on board
Coppola Collection
Berryman was a Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist with The Washington Star newspaper from 1907 to 1949. He was appointed draftsman to the United States Patent Office in Washington, DC, serving there from 1886 to 1891. During his tenure, Berryman submitted sketches to The Washington Post. In 1891, he became an understudy of political cartoonist George Y Coffin at The Washington Post. After Coffin died in 1896, Berryman took over the position as cartoonist for the newspaper.
Berryman was a prominent figure in Washington, President Harry S. Truman once told him, "You are ageless and timeless. Presidents, senators and even Supreme Court justices come and go, but the Monument and Berryman stand.”
In 1943, there were calls for a federal sales tax in the United States. Some individuals and organizations believed that a sales tax was a crucial wartime necessity and an untapped source of federal revenue. However, the idea faced considerable opposition. FDR himself opposed the sales tax, believing it would be too hard on those least able to afford it.
Ultimately, the federal government did not enact a national sales tax. Instead, Congress passed the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943, and signed into law on June 9, which implemented income tax withholding from wages and salaries as the primary means to finance the war effort.
