![\"Vintage](\"http:\/\/forwardmutual.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/14_Taxes_War_English_72dpi.jpg\")
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By HOWARD WIEDENHOEFT<\/p>\n
Ixonia Mutual Insurance Company and Watertown Mutual Insurance Company may have been small companies in rural America during the early decades of 20th century, yet events of the time\u2014state, national and international\u2014had a significant impact on their operations. In February 1913, Congress passed the 16th\u00a0 Amendment<\/a> to the U.S. Constitution\u00a0the collection of taxes on income. In October 1917, six months after the United States became involved in World War I, Congress passed the War Revenue Act<\/a>, which increased income taxes in order to fund the war effort. Both these events had an effect on mutual insurance companies.<\/p>\n For the first time Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual became subject to taxation. At Watertown Mutual\u2019s 1918 annual meeting members voted to pay its secretary an additional two dollars \u201cbecause he had to file the forms for the New War Tax with the Internal Revenue Collector,\u201d as recorded in its minutes. Watertown Mutual’s records indicate that they paid $7.37 in war tax in 1919 and $8.65 in 1920. Ixonia Mutual made no records of paying a war tax in those years.<\/p>\n According to their records, neither Ixonia Mutual or Watertown Mutual had to file or pay income tax at that time due to lack of income. (It’s interesting to note that today Forward Mutual pays federal income tax on its net income and its 2016 Statement of Operations show a payment of $68,600.)<\/p>\n In 1919, the Wisconsin Insurance Department ordered that records of all Wisconsin insurance companies be written in English. From a historian’s perspective, this opens up a trove of information to Watertown Mutual, since its records were previously written in German.<\/p>\n Another important factor to the legibility of Watertown Mutual’s records came in 1920. That year its members approved the purchase of its first adding machine and typewriter for a cost of $175. This was quite an expensive purchase for that time.<\/span><\/p>\n By the Minutes: Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n 1872 Watertown Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n 1875 Ixonia Mutual Founded<\/a><\/p>\n Comparing the Capitalizing of Two Early Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n A Mutual\u2019s First Claim<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting Dairy in the Late 1800s<\/a><\/p>\n 1879 Early Challenges for a Young Mutual<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual\u2019s First $1000 Loss<\/a><\/p>\n 1885 A Year of Neighbor Helping Neighbor<\/a><\/p>\n Changes of Bylaws<\/a><\/p>\n Our Dairy Heritage<\/a><\/p>\n Insuring Automobiles<\/a><\/p>\n Taxes, War and the English Language<\/a><\/p>\n Supporting the Community\u2019s Fire Protection<\/a><\/p>\n Board Directors and Their Meetings<\/a><\/p>\n Standardization of Wisconsin Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Of Electricity, Radio and Foxes<\/a><\/p>\n Our Annual Meetings Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Tumultuous 1930-1940s<\/a><\/p>\n How a Major Disaster Affected Extended Coverage and Reinsurance<\/a><\/p>\n Surviving the Big Dogs in the 1960s<\/a><\/p>\n Introducing Agents to the Mutuals<\/a><\/p>\n Accounting Over the Years<\/a><\/p>\n Centennial Anniversaries<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Offices<\/a><\/p>\n Mutual Managers and Staff<\/a><\/p>\n Establishing Confidence in Financial Strength<\/a><\/p>\n Entering the Era of Computers<\/a><\/p>\n The 1990s, Advancement and Angst<\/a><\/p>\n The Start of the 21st Century<\/a><\/p>\n Concord and Watertown Merge<\/a><\/p>\n Ixonia Mutual and Watertown Mutual Merge and a New Company is Formed<\/a><\/p>\n Setting the Stage, Moving Forward with a New 2020 Vision<\/a><\/p>\n
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