The Nevada journal., 1857-01-16
REvENUE--PoLL TAX.

We hope that, among the various
tinkerings which we have no doubt the
revenue law will receive this winter,
some one of our legislators will get
through an amendment of that portion
of relating to the collection of poll tax.
At present, the assessor gets only fifteen
Der cent. on the amount collected
This will not pay his expenses while
engaged in this part of his duties, and
the consequence is, that not more than
one-ffth of the poll tax is collected
No person, however unemployed and
however anxious for business, can at
ford to collect it at present rates, ex-
eept in the large towns; and the asses
sor cannot find any one who will under
take it. During the fall and winter of
1854, Immediately before the allowance
10 the assessor was reduced, and when
be received 25 per cent, poll tax to the
amount of $500 was collected in Ne
vada county in the short space of three
months. Last year, under the Is per
cent arrangement, it amounted for the
whole year to only S3,500
There are in this county 1900 voters,
besides $500 Cinnamon, and other for
eigners-say 500-not citizens; making
in all over 10000 persons subject to poll
tax, which at $500 head, would am
cunt to the snug little sum of $4,000.
Allow the assessor 25 per cent, and 1t
is a very liberal calculation to say that
$4,000 of it would be collected, which,
after deducting the collectors per cent
age, would leave the state and county
Sl5,OOO-twelve thousand dollars more
than we can expect to get under the
present system.
We notice, also, that the system has
been working in about the same way all
over the state. The last controllers
report shows that the largest amount OF
poll tax collected in any one year since
the reduction of the collectors per CEN
tage, was S5S,975. Now, we have III
this state los, 1000 voters, $4,000 China
men, and 10000 other foreigners, not
citizens, making 144,000 persons sub
;ect to poll tax, which, if collected
would amount to S433,OOO. OF this sum,
it is fair to say that 100000 could be
collected, if the old per centage were
restored, and, taking off the collectors
pay, there would accrue to the state and
counties the yearly revenue ofS225,OOO
;nstead of $780, 900 as at present.
Owing to the depressed financial con-
dition of the state, the subject of reve-
nue. is one of the utmost Importance, and
we think the above would be very
simple and easy mode of increasing the
annual public income. A poll tax is pc.
culiarly applicable to California. Eve
,y man who enjoys the advantages Of
fered here to industry, is able, and
should be willing to pay the small sum
Of $500, while great many who are
worth from $1,000 to $4,000, owing to
the frequent changes of property among
rs, escape any. other species of taxation
If the assessors per centage were raised
to 25, we feel confident, that our reve.
nue. would be increased $150,000 OF
100000, while the people would scarce
ly be sensible of the difference. We
cannot speak for the agricultural por.
tons of the state, but in the mining
counties, where the expenses of the col
lector are so enormous, the poll tax viii
not, and cannot be collected except il
the towns-for less than 25 per cent.
There is one other amendment tC
which we desire to call attention. Sec
ton 40 of the revenue act of May 18th
"a, provides that each male inha bitant
of the state shall pay poll tax of So
provided it be paid before the first Mon
day of October in each year, and the
45th section of the same act, directs that
all receipts delivered to the assessor a
ter the first Monday of October, shall
be filed out with S400. The latter
section remains unaltered, but the for
mer has been amended by tie 9th sec
ton of the act of April 9th, '55, SO a'
to provide for the payment of only $500
throughout the entire year. The two
sections are inconsistent, and section AZ
should be amended so as to correspond
with the other.
- We are sorry to learn that an
unfortunate occurrence took place al
Red Dog on Saturday the 10th inst.
which came near ending fatally to ono