VOLSTEAD PROVES VOLATILE

[FNN 74]

VOLSTEAD PROVES VOLATILE

Wes Mantooth – FNN

 

It was the heavy loss of personnel five months ago in Barnwell, South Carolina that prompted the controversial Volstead Tax on all liquor.  Conceived over a need to rebuild the fragmented might of the military machine, enforcement has proven difficult.  While it has generated over $3M in revenue over the past 4 months, that number falls far short of the initial approximations of $25M annually.  

 

The tax has since come under strict scrutiny by representatives from some of the rural regions of the United Federation.  Arguments against Volstead stem around a preexisting heavy tax on agriculture products and the immense difficulties of farming in war stricken areas.  Local enforcement in these areas is almost nonexistent, and the limited number of Volstead Agents are already spread too thin through the Federation. 

     

With this in mind, conversations around the capital have begun to center around bolstering Volstead Agents with UFS ground troops.  The notion is wildly unpopular with the more conservative members of the congressional delegation, but their objections are falling on deaf ears for the time being.  Sources in the military hierarchy tell us that they are working on troop strength assessments and propose rules of engagements to deal with the issue.  More to come.