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SEC. 204. The Railroad Retirement Act of 1935 shall continue in force and effect with respect to the rights of individuals granted annuities prior to the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 205. The enactment of this Act shall have no effect on the status, tenure of office, or compensation of the present members, officers, and employees of the Railroad Retirement Board; except that individuals who have had experience in railroad service shall be retained in the employ of the Board, whether or not qualified under the civil service laws and rules, if in the judgment of the Board they possess the qualifications necessary for the proper discharge of the duties of the positions which they are holding.

Approved, June 24, 1937.

[PUBLIC NO. 174-75TH CONGRESS]

[CHAPTER 405—1ST SESSION]

[H. R. 7589]

AN ACT

To levy an excise tax upon carriers and certain other employers and an income tax upon their employees, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 1. That as used in this Act

(a) The term "employer" means any carrier (as defined in subsection (i) of this section), and any company which is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by one or more such carriers or under common control therewith, and which operates any equipment or facility or performs any service (except trucking service, casual service, and the casual operation of equipment or facilities) in connection with the transportation of passengers or property by railroad, or the receipt, delivery, elevation, transfer in transit, refrigeration or icing, storage, or handling of property transported by railroad, and any receiver, trustee, or other individual or body, judicial or otherwise, when in the possession of the property or operating all or any part of the business of any such employer: Provided, however, That the term "employer" shall not include any street, interurban, or suburban electric railway, unless such railway is operating as a part of a general steam-railroad system of transportation, but shall not exclude any part of the general steam-railroad system of transportation now or hereafter operated by any other motive power. The Interstate Commerce Commission is hereby authorized and directed upon request of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, or upon complaint of any party interested, to determine after hearing whether any line operated by electric power falls within the terms of this proviso. The term "employer" shall also include railroad associations, traffic associations, tariff bureaus, demurrage bureaus, weighing and inspection bureaus, collection agencies and other asso ciations, bureaus, agencies, or organizations controlled and maintained wholly or principally by two or more employers as hereinbefore defined and engaged in the performance of services in connection with or incidental to railroad transportation; and railway labor organizations, national in scope, which have been or may be organized in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, and their State and National legislative committees and their general committees and their insurance departments and their local lodges and divisions, established pursuant to the constitution and bylaws of such organizations.

(b) The term "employee" means any person in the service of one or more employers for compensation: Provided, however, That the

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term "employee" shall include an employee of a local lodge or division defined as an employer in subsection (a) only if he was in the service of or in the employment relation to a carrier on or after August 29, 1935. An individual is in the employment relation to a carrier if he is on furlough, subject to call for service within or outside the United States and ready and willing to serve, or on leave of absence, or absent on account of sickness or disability; all in accordance with the established rules and practices in effect on the carrier: Provided further, That an individual shall not be deemed to have been on August 29, 1935, in the employment relation to a carrier not conducting the principal part of its business in the United States unless during the last pay-roll period in which he rendered service to it prior to said date, he rendered service to it in the United States.

(c) The term "employee representative" means any officer or official representative of a railway labor organization other than a labor organization included in the term "employer" as defined in section 1 (a), who before or after the enactment hereof was in the service of an employer as defined in section 1 (a) and who is duly authorized and designated to represent employees in accordance with the Railway Labor Act, as amended, and any individual who is regularly assigned to or regularly employed by such officer or official representative in connection with the duties of his office.

(d) An individual is in the service of an employer whether his service is rendered within or without the United States if he is subject to the continuing authority of the employer to supervise and direct the manner of rendition of his service, which service he renders for compensation: Provided, however, That an individual shall be deemed to be in the service of an employer not conducting the principal part of its business in the United States only when he is rendering service to it in the United States.

(e) The term "compensation" means any form of money remuneration earned by an individual for services rendered as an employee to one or more employers, or as an employee representative, including remuneration paid for time lost as an employee, but remuneration paid for time lost shall be deemed earned in the month in which such time is lost. Such term does not include tips, or the voluntary payment by an employer, without deduction from the remuneration of the employee, of the tax imposed on such employee by section 2 of this Act. Compensation which is earned during the period for which the Commissioner of Internal Revenue shall require a return of taxes hereunder to be made and which is payable during the calendar month following such period shall be deemed to have been paid during such period only.

(f) The term "United States" when used in a geographical sense means the States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia. (g) The term "company" includes corporations, associations, and joint-stock companies.

(h) The term "employee" includes an officer of an employer. (i) The term "carrier" means an express company, sleeping-car company, or carrier by railroad, subject to part I of the Interstate Commerce Act.

(j) The term "person" means an individual, a partnership, an association, a joint-stock company, or a corporation.

INCOME TAX ON EMPLOYEES

SEC. 2. (a) In addition to other taxes, there shall be levied, collected, and paid upon the income of every employee a tax equal to the following percentages of so much of the compensation of such employee as is not in excess of $300 for any calendar month, earned by him after December 31, 1936

1. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1937, 1938, and 1939, the rate shall be 234 per centum;

2. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1940, 1941, and 1942, the rate shall be 3 per centum;

3. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1943, 1944, and 1945, the rate shall be 314 per centum;

4. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1946, 1947, and 1948, the rate shall be 32 per centum;

5. With respect to compensation earned after December 31, 1948, the rate shall be 334 per centum;

(b) The tax imposed by this section shall be collected by the employer of the taxpayer by deducting the amount of the tax from the compensation of the employee as and when paid. If an employee is paid compensation by more than one employer with respect to any calendar month, then, under regulations made under this Act, the Commissioner of Internal Revenue may prescribe the proportion of the tax to be deducted by each employer from the compensation paid by him to the employee with respect to such month. Every employer required under this subsection to deduct the tax is hereby made liable for the payment of such tax and shall not be liable to any person for the amount of any such payment.

(c) If more or less than the correct amount of tax imposed by this section is paid with respect to any compensation payment, then, under regulations made under this Act by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, proper adjustments, with respect both to the tax and the amount to be deducted, shall be made, without interest, in connection with subsequent compensation payments to the same employee by the same employer.

EXCISE TAX ON EMPLOYERS

SEC. 3. (a) In addition to other taxes, every employer shall pay an excise tax, with respect to having individuals in his employ, equal to the following percentages of so much of the compensation as is not in excess of $300 for any calendar month paid by him to any employee for services rendered to him after December 31, 1936: Provided, however, That if an employee is paid compensation by more than one employer with respect to any such calendar month, the tax imposed by this section shall apply to not more than $300 of the aggregate compensation paid to said employee by all said employers with respect to such calendar month, and each such employer shall be liable for that proportion of the tax with respect to such compensation which his payment to the employee with respect to such calendar month bears to the aggregate compensation paid to such employee by all employers with respect to such calendar month:

1. With respect to compensation paid to employees for services rendered during the calendar years 1937, 1938, and 1939, the rate shall be 234 per centum;

2. With respect to compensation paid to employees for services rendered during the calendar years 1940, 1941, and 1942, the rate shall be 3 per centum;

3. With respect to compensation paid to employees for services rendered during the calendar years 1943, 1944, and 1945, the rate shall be 34 per centum;

4. With respect to compensation paid to employees for services rendered during the calendar years 1946, 1947, and 1948, the rate shall be 32 per centum;

5. With respect to compensation paid to employees for services rendered after December 31, 1948, the rate shall be 334 per centum.

(b) If more or less than the correct amount of the tax imposed by this section is paid with respect to any compensation payment, then, under regulations made by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, proper adjustments with respect to the tax shall be made, without interest, in connection with subsequent excise-tax payments made by the same employer.

REFUNDS AND DEFICIENCIES

SEC. 4. If more or less than the correct amount of the tax imposed by section 2 (a) or 3 (a) of this Act is paid or deducted with respect to any compensation payment and the overpayment or underpayment of the tax cannot be adjusted under section 2 (c) or 3 (b), the amount of the overpayment shall be refunded, or the amount of the underpayment shall be collected in such manner and at such times (subject to the statute of limitations properly applicable thereto) as may be prescribed by regulations under this Act as made by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.

INCOME TAX ON EMPLOYEE REPRESENTATIVES

SEC. 5. In addition to other taxes, there shall be levied, collected, and paid upon the income of each employee representative a tax equal to the following percentages of so much of the compensation of such employee representative as is not in excess of $300 for any calendar month, earned by him after December 31, 1936:

1. With respect to compensation earned during the calender years 1937, 1938, and 1939, the rate shall be 52 per centum;

2. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1940, 1941, and 1942, the rate shall be 6 per centum;

3. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1943, 1944, and 1945, the rate shall be 62 per centum;

4. With respect to compensation earned during the calendar years 1946, 1947, and 1948, the rate shall be 7 per centum;

5. With respect to compensation earned after December 31, 1948, the rate shall be 72 per centum.

The compensation of an employee representative for the purpose of ascertaining the tax thereon shall be determined in the same manner and with the same effect as if the employee organization by which such employee representative is employed were an employer as defined in section 1 (a) of this Act.

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