Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-02-17

IyeCts Comnltted To their charge, at an ear
ller period OF the session of the. Genera
Assembly. The delay which has occnrre,
IN the performance Of their duty is ascri
lbable, in part, to the pressure of bushes.
upon the Auditor of public accounts
which not only prevented the Committee
from resorting to that officer for detailed
statements ofthe progress Of the various
branches of the public revenue in forme.
years, but of necessity kept back the an
nual report of the last year, without which
the Committee had no scale OIL which to
construct the contemplated reduction o,
the public taxes. This obstruction TO the
progress ofpublic business would be pre-
vented in future years by adding to the
clerks of that office an additional book
keeper.
The imperfectioDs in the returns of the
Commissioners of the Revenue call for re-
dress. A remedy might be provided by
discriminating the assessment of the state
taxes to the system provided for a like pur
pose by the government of the United
States. The Committee are appraised that
The several Commissioners have been al
ready appointed for the present year, and
have entered upon the duties of their Of
ice, but it is not too late to adopt a sys
TEN which shall operate at some future
period. Whenever such system shall be
created. it must have its form determined u
year before its operation shall commence.
The duties of the Commissioners of the
Revenue in relation to the public taxes
will be found to have been reduced to
their limit before the war--yet the esti-
mates of the Committee have enlarged
their compensation to sum exceeding
that which was then allowed to tham.--.
All those duties, occur, at particular sea-
son OF the year they are of the utmost
Importance, and require activity and in
telligence, as we'll as honesty in the officer
who performs them. An union of such
Qualities in one officer cannot be procured
at the small price formerly paid for them
and should the General Assembly autho-
rise the proposed augmentation, the Ia
bours of the Commissioners, might be ex--
tende d beyond the objects to which they
are now confined, 50 as TO embrace an an
hual collection and report Of such facts
within their respective districts, as shall
serve to shew the distribution of the la
bour and stock, and the gradual progress or
declension Of the agriculture, arts, COM
MERGE q population of the Commonwealth.
The documents marked G and ID shew
the amount of the Revenue of the Com
monwealth from the year 1901 to the year
lol4, Doth years inclusive, and are annex
ed 90 the Report as illustrative of the views
which 1t presents of the probable growth
OF the public revenue.
1st. Resolved, That the taxes levied
upon the war subjects Of taxation be dis
continued.
Cd. RESOLVED, That the taxes upon the
former subjects of revenue be reduced so
as To leave a nett revenue OF five hundred
thousand dollars.
Sd. ReSoiced, That the sum of 100 thou
sand dollars he annually appropriated to
inc extinguisbment of the debt of 5000
dollars due the Bank of Virginia and Far
Fmers' Bank of Virginia.
4th. ReS0lred, That the arrears of taxes
due in the Borough of Norfolk and the
counties from which no commissioners re-
turns have been received for the past year,
together with the uncollected revenue tax
les of those counties in which no collections
have been made be applied, together with
so much of the debt due from the United
States as may be necessary, to defray the
current expenses of the Commonwealth
until the 1st day of October next, and to
replace all such sums as have been or nav
be hereafter advanced on account for the
use of the Commonwealth by the Farmers
Bank of Virginia.
9Th. Resolved, That the residue of the
debt Ofthe United States be applied to pub
lie education, and that So much thereof as
may sulIice to take up the certificates of
public stock issued to the Bank of Virginia
and the Farmers of Virginia be directed
to that object by the President and Direc-
tors of the Literary fund
Resolved, That the duties of the Com
missiOners of the Revenue be so enlarged
as to require them to present to the Execu-
tive in every year statistical tables of their
districts, shelving the distribu-
tiOn of the labour aud stock, and the gra-
dual progress or declension Of thesagricul-
tnre, arts, commerce and population Of the
commonwealth.
ResOlred, That the Committee of FL
nance oe instructed to inquire into the ex-
pediency of changing the present distribu-
ton of the territory of the Commonwealth
into revenue districts, and of altering the
mode of appointing commissioners of the
revenue, and that they report by bill or O.
therwlse.
RIcHmoND, Jan. Is, 1916.