The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-15
THE DAILY DISPATCH
Ss1arday Morning, March Is, 1880.
The Tax Bill.

and placed upon their desks IL " o''.'' ~. 10
- Is, ir..f.-s not take much time We
- ,au;s,s.ors to read 1t, for we feel
- than have no idea of the crush
a. .-.,.,i.. inequality. and epprcssiveness of
,ns h,,r,han under which the commercial commu.
pity of virginia suffers
,r,a memorial assumes that the three grea,
,r.,.bas of all industry alike important to the
s,.,s and indispensable to each other that they
aus, provfde In common for the general need as
,hev enjoy In common the general benefit II also
assumes as an axiom, not to be made palmer by
argument, that the obligations due to the State
are due as individual citizens, not In classes, and
that each citizen should contribute to the general
fund in proportion to his ability, which is the
rns.sure Of the protection he receives In return,
as nearly as that ability can reasonably be aseer
tanned
The memorial thus proceeds. We most earn
es,ly invoke the attention of legislative friends
20 the annexed extract
In pursuing this psin ratio of taxation the plan il
perfectly simple. Thu property of the State being
sscertsned and the amount needed also sscertained
the per ceptage 10 at once arrived at.
IL all cases except own, this ratio 10 observed
The farmer pays, under the proposed tax bill, 40
cents on every 800 value of his land
The msnufsc. urer pays 40 cents every hundred
dolls value of capital invested or used in his bust
mesa
The property holder pays forty cent. on every hun.
bred dollars value of personal property, money and
credits required to be listed
But the merchant has another law to measure his
contribution to the public treasury. 1t Is quite as
easy to ascertain his sd vaorem proportion. 1t is
quite simple to require from him forty cents on
every hundred dollars of his capital But IN lieu of
this the track of taxation pursued IN reaching every
other employment is deserted when he is visited
He pays first specific tax for the privilege OF eXer
cisng his industry at all Then tax upon his sales
arranged upon sliding scale, which will average fully
two dollars and fifty six cents on every ore hundred
dollars of his apta and increasing dTt possu with
tina energy with which his business Is carried n If
this new test were no, substituted by which the
pason is concealed the astounding fact would stand
out in plain figures, thsts citizen of Virginia who
follows the calling of merchant is required by law
pay lest six times much in proportion to his
the citizen engaged In any other occupation
The mode by which this estimate ia arrived at, will
when explained, show the statement to be within
the possible limits Of exaggeration. The inquiry is
curious one to speculative inquirer IL Is one OF
sefp election and is becoming one of selfpreserya-
tion, to the merchant himself.
All other occupations pay forty cents on every 500
of value possessed by them. The merchant pays the
same all mis- real or personal property outside OF
0 90 worth OF any such property To institute fair
and true comparison. only becomes necessary to
what 0U0 of capital employed in active
business, will have to pay under this law. As the Ii
cense tax is regulated by the amount of sales. the
amount OF sales ~ TN. o ospa1 on
fact, only be learned by careful investigation
Such inv CATION we have made; and while we be-
leve the ordinary proportion of annual sales to cep
tai to be ten to one l. e., one hundred thousand dol
lars ten Thousand dollars, and while one con-
versant with trade win assert it to be less than eight
to one yet avoid all cavl take the estimate of
81 to one sixty thousand dollars of sales ten
thousand dollars of capital. On less than this, the
capital wou not return livelihood. By the pro-
posed tx BILL this ten thousand dollars of property
pays tax of two hundred and fftysix dollars instead
OF forty dollars-(or dollars and fftysix cents
every hundred dollars -as that is the rate proposed
10 be levied sixty thousand dollars of sales-or
more than six times much any other property in
the State. There are other calculations by which
this same result will be Appropriated; as for In
stance contrast of the derived from this Ii
esnse tax and the whole revenue of the State, cen
sdered connection with the probable total of bust
capital and the total value of the entire taxable
fund Of tho State. But desire to leave nothing to
conjecture. Nor do we wish to mako as strong an
exhibit possible of the disparity which lies heavy
on Our object is to state the in such light
will carry conviction with it. The estimate of sales
to capital six to one is Sc undoubtedly within
bounds that scarcely any intelligent business
would hesitate make affidavit of its correctness
In some particular branches of mercantile fe this
disparity greater still. The merchant who sells
com mission is entitled to but q per cent his sales
as his compensation for selling On sixty thousand
dollars of sales his entire income would be but t-
teen hundred doars-and his thereon viii be
two hundred and fysix dollars, one-sixth of his
income.
The lands in the Commonwealth have largely in
creased in value since the last assessment Agricul
tura products yield return which presents a like
favorable contrast with former years The old stand
!
charge upon the landed property now to pay forty
cents in the hundred dollars, than it was heretofore
TO pay the old rate
on certain amount of sales is limited; indeed, by
increased competition with other markets. ia of late
yesrs reduced The proportion of tax to this ability
to paw on his part, is to be exactly doubled 1t
Is true the ratio of inequality remains the
As he before only paid six times as much as other
avocations he STILL by the proposed BILL is to continue
TO pay only six times much. Yet the uhieh
constitutes this inequality is doubled The excess be
yond his share, with which he was taxed before, i've
sixths il to become tensixths. The difference
is amentably wide between the double of twenty
dollars the former rate tan thousand dollars worth
of land tnakng it forty dollars) and the double of
one hundred and twenty-eight ten thousand dol |
lars worth of capital (mskng it two hundred and f
tysix doaIs In addition to his, the annual amount
of sales is very unsafe criterion of annual profit
The of such sales may prove, and often does
prove, q source of loss and even of bankruptcy
Moreover, the ordinary nett profit upon sixty thou
sand dollars of sales will not afford larger income
than the annual yield of ten thousand dollars worth
of land; especially when the measure of value of
such land ascertaned by an assessment made years
ago.
Can the Legislature turn deaf ear to such a
statements Can they refuse that in any future
revenue bill, the commercial community may be
taxed in like manner in like ratio to their means,
asoertained by the same tests, with all other cit-
sens of the Commonwealth Win they perma
nently dwarf the growth of the cities and towns
of Virginia, from the injustice of such a discrim
nation As the memorial justly observes
reference to the largest commercial emporium OF
the United States will furnish the best and strong
eat evidence in behalf of liberal policy in thi,
regard While millions could easily be obtained
for State purposes by such tax on the active cap
isal OF New York, her merchants are not only not
sube tied to any license, but capital invested in
their mercantile enterprises Is placed upon the
sans footing with capital invested In real estate
or an other property.
1T he history of every commercial community
plain, v teaches that while onerous rate of taxa.
zion pom active capital may by various expedients
avail for temporary purposes of revenue, In Sc.
rfes years IL defeats Its object by REFRESHING
the atural increase of wealth and population;
the Only permanent sources of supply upon which
the public treasury can rely"
All that the citizens of Virginia, engaged in com.
mercs, ask for, Is equality.
A FOREST TRAGEDY and other Tales by GRACE
GREgywooD-Boston: Tichnor & Fields This
work, by we'll known authoress of fiction, is pre-.
ssntsd In the neatest style. For sale by A. Nor.
RS
TIE WORKS OF EDGAR A. PoE.-The fourth