The Japanese occupation administration in the Philippine Islands has imposed a special “war tax” on all Jews, according to a report appearing in the “Deutsche Beobachter in Asian,” a copy of which was received here today.
The German report states that “wealthy” Jews, who own real estate and big business concerns will be forced to surrender fifty percent of their holdings. Other Jews will be obliged to pay a tax equivalent to one-third the value of all their possessions.
The Jews have been given until the end of the year to pay, the publication discloses, adding that those unable to pay the levy by then will have their possessions sold at auction to satisfy the tax. (According to the most recent statistics available, there are only about 1,500 Jews in the Philippine Islands, 500 of whom are long-time residents and the other 1,000 refugees who settled there since the Nazis came to power.)
It was reported last month that the Japanese had established a ghetto for the Philippine Jews at Manila, because, they charged, the Jews were aiding the guerrillas.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
