The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1868-11-20

Revenues from Legactes and Sac
ceSSfOnS.

In glancing over the tax reports one can
not but be struck with the comparatively
small sum of revenue that is yielded by
legacies and SUGGESTIONS. 1t has long been
thought that large amount of tax prop
erly due from these two sources has annu-
ally escaped collection, and the smallness
of the totals would seem to justify the be-
lief The evasion has not been attributed
so much to downright fraud as to the in
activity and carelessness OF the officials, in
many localities, who are intrusted with the
collection of the tax. The totals bear
evidence of fraud, and perhaps official neg
lect, on their very face. Who, for a mo-
amount of tax due from all grades of lega-
cies in 1868 These grades, be it remem
bered, embrace rates Of per cent, lineal
issue or ancestor per cent, descendant
of brother or sister; per cent, uncle or
aunt, or descendant of same 8 per cent,
great uncle or aunt, or descendant thereof !;
and 6 per cent, stranger in blood. Let
any one calculate for himself the whole
value of the legacies represented by the
amount of revenue paid, and the large
fraud on the treasury will be made appar-
ent at once. In 1854, the receipts crept up
to $811 900; in 1865, to over $500, 900 in
1865, to $925,O00; and in 1857, to nearly
81 $4,000 SUGGESTIONS paid nothing in
1868 and 1884, and only $4,000 in 1866
In 1866 they vouchsafed nearly $3.50, 900,
and in 1867, about 100000. 1t would be
idle to say that these aggregates, even the
highest of them, come anywhere near the
true sum of money that these two sources
ought honestly to pay into the Treasury
every twelve months. Great Britain real
ICES from the same sources not less than
$13,000,000 per annum, and increases her
revenue from them every year in much
more encouraging ratio than we do. The
smallest amount she has received from
them for fifteen years past was $4,000, 900,
and that was in 1852. An examination of
the details making up the million and q
quarter of revenue we paid last year on
I legacies, has some degree of interest We
find that of the per cent. rate Connecti-
cut paid almost ten times as much as Cali
fornia, and three aud half times as much
as Illinois and of the Q per cent, rate,
twelve times as much as California, and
six times as much as Illinois. Of the per
cent. rate, Kentucky paid two and a half
times more than Indiana. Massachusetts,
paid $4,000; New York, $4,000 Ohio,
$4,000; Pennsylvania, $131, 900. Of the
per cent. the largest receipts were $780,
500, Ohio 100000, New York $81, 900,
Pennsylvania The 9 per cent rate on
legacies to strangers in blood brought in
$54, 900 from Massachusetts $4,000 from
Georgia $51, 900 from New York $4,000
| from Ohio j; $4,000 from Pennsylvania
The sums paid by the greatest revenue
yielding States on per cent. SUGGESTIONS
stand Illinois, $1S 5000 Indiana, $27, 900;
Kentucky, $20,500 Massachusetts,, $27,-
600 New Jersey, $4,000 New York,
$4,000; Ohio, $4,000; Pennsylvania,
$4,000. ea-
The totals of both legacies and success
sions of all kinds combined, show that
Connecticut returned over double as much
as Illinoiq, the figures being $91,57
and $42,344 respectively. Indiana gave
$4,000; Kentucky, $4,000; Maryland,
$4,000; Massachusetts, $3.50, 1000; New
Jersey, $4,000; New York, $451,000 ;
Ohio, $11s,O00 Cess than one-half the sum
returned by Massachusetts, Pennsylva-
MIA, $4,000; Rhode Island, $42, 500, Gas
much as Illinois, and Virginia, $4,000.
The remaining States returned, in major
ity of cases, but very small totals, The
Sixth Collection District of this State re-