# RI18a - 1935 50# Potato, Tax Exempt Stamp
Potato Stamps
The Potato Control Act was an amendment of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The AAA had been passed in 1933 by President Roosevelt to help boost agricultural prices by decreasing surpluses. The AAA also created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to oversee the grants given to farmers.
The law went into effect on December 1, 1935. Part of the law restricted potatoes from being exported, instead providing that they be supplied for relief to those in need. The act also included a crop-adjustment program of plowing under every fifth row of potatoes to prevent a surplus. Each farmer was given a quota of production and for any excess had to pay a ¾ cent per pound tax. All the potatoes that were sold under the allotments were tax-free and for this, a tax-exempt stamp was used.
Under this law, people and companies were not allowed to buy or offer to buy any potatoes that were not packed in containers approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and sealed with the official stamps. If anyone was found in violation of the law, they could be fined $1,000 for their first offense and $1,000 and a year in jail for their second offense.
Potato Stamps
The Potato Control Act was an amendment of the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA). The AAA had been passed in 1933 by President Roosevelt to help boost agricultural prices by decreasing surpluses. The AAA also created the Agricultural Adjustment Administration to oversee the grants given to farmers.
The law went into effect on December 1, 1935. Part of the law restricted potatoes from being exported, instead providing that they be supplied for relief to those in need. The act also included a crop-adjustment program of plowing under every fifth row of potatoes to prevent a surplus. Each farmer was given a quota of production and for any excess had to pay a ¾ cent per pound tax. All the potatoes that were sold under the allotments were tax-free and for this, a tax-exempt stamp was used.
Under this law, people and companies were not allowed to buy or offer to buy any potatoes that were not packed in containers approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and sealed with the official stamps. If anyone was found in violation of the law, they could be fined $1,000 for their first offense and $1,000 and a year in jail for their second offense.