News In Brief

YOU WANT TO STAY HOW LONG?

When you run a bed-and-breakfast, you naturally hope it will be appealing to guests. What you don't expect is that they'll take over the place and push you out in the process. But that's what happened to Garry and Mamie Pound. The Columbus, Ga., couple and their two children moved back in last week after spending an entire month showering at the local YMCA while Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, and the rest of the cast of "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" filmed scenes for their new movie in town. Nor could the Pounds tell anyone about it, lest word get out and fans trample their property to gawk at the celebrities.

IT'LL TOUGHEN YOU UP

Speaking of families and filming, a yet-to-be-chosen German household of four is to make its entertainment debut in a TV series scheduled to go into production later this year. They'll play themselves as they would have lived 100 years ago - on a farm, without electricity, gas, telephone service, or running water.

High earners carry a much heavier income-tax burden

While opponents attack President Bush's tax-cut plan as a boon to the wealthy, it is they who bear the brunt of the federal tax burden. In fact, almost half the money collected by the Internal Revenue Service comes from persons who earn $200,000 a year or more, according to the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. By contrast, not even 10 percent of federal income taxes are paid by people who earn $50,000 or less - the majority of Americans. This year, the government expects to collect income taxes on 130 million returns that will total about $1 trillion. That figure represents about half the IRS's total collections for 2000. The share of the income-tax burden by bracket, according to the House Ways and Means Committee:

$200,000 and up 47.5%

$100,000-$199,000 23.6%

$75,000-$99,000 11.8%

$50,000-$74,999 11.1%

$20,000-$49,000 7.6%

- Associated Press

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor