Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-11-23


RrvENUE sTATIsTICS = RECENT
REPORT OF THE STATE cON'
TROLLER.
The recent report of the State Control
Ter to the Legislature, exhibiting the
financial condition of the State for the
two years ending October 1, 1869, pre-
SCENTS many interesting facts, some OF
which are also very strange.
The gross State tax upon property and
: polls in Shelby county, for the two years,
was Sale, 1857. The amount actually paid
into the State Treasury by the Tax Col
lector Of the county was '$l77,752 What
became of the residue7 Much, of course,
was not collected; but this will account
for q small part only of it. The Tax
Collectors can tell the tale, if they will
The same mystery attends the revenue
of the State generally. The total gross
State tax, for the two years, upon the
whole property Of the State, was ", &c.,
100. The total amount paid into the
State Treasury, was s2,l32,O62, q de-
ficieney of sSOO,7ls. How much of this
difference was sunk in commissions,
steaages, defalcations and Insolvency of
owners of lands, the Report of the Con-
troller does not show
The gross amount Of State tax on
property and polls, was, as above stated,
s. 1892. 100. The gross amount Of Shelby
county was $4l6, l57, or about one-sixth
of the whole State. FsFhf
The gross amount Of East Tennessee,
was s65s, 055; of Middle Tennessee, ST.
257,243; of West Tennessee, $l.0l7,49l.
The total amount of taxes on priyi-
leges paid into the Treasury in the two
years, was 1892 s26. OF this, East
Tennessee paid sl64.7l9; Middle Ten
nessee paid s44o,s26; West Tennessee
paid $4s7, 78l. Shelby county paid S3O7,-
472; Davidson county paid $249.l27.
Thus, Shelby county paid into the State
Treasury between one-third and one
fourth of the total revenue of the State
from taxation on privileges.
Property and polls paid .-....-.s l32 062
Privi eyes i'VsIc1o
When privileges are spoken of above,
all privileges which pay taxes are
meant The privilege tax paid by the
merchants of the State 10 the two years,
was 1898 $50. The merchants Of Shelby
county paid 1924 6S7 in the two years
more than oue-third of the whole privi-
Iegs tax paid by the merchants of the
State, and more than ons-half of what
was paid by the residue Of the merchants
of the State.
The defalcations of the Tax Collectors
of Shelby county is much larger than Of
all the balance of the State. Philip
Gsrvin is reported in default sl05, 8l9;
VIM. Mclean, s27,22o. John Donovan
is reported in default s4432, as Clerk Of
the Criminal and Law Court.
As stated above. the whole amount
paid into the treasury, Of revenue from
property and polls, was s2,lS2,o62. OF
this, Shelby paid into the treasury Sl77,-
752, and paid besides to Garviu, which
he did not pay over. slO5,8ls; making a
total of s2s3,57l which is little less
than one seventh of the whole revenue of
the State derived from property and polls.
The total revenue Of the State during
the two years derived from taxation Of
all kinds was 81, 1924, 9s7. OF this amount
Shelby county paid s4s5,224, or one
seventh of the whole revenue Of the State.
If we add to the s4s5,2 24 the sos $40,
the amount Of Garvin's defalcstion, the
result would be that Shelby county pays
little less than one-ffth of the whole
revenue of the State of Tennessee.
These figures are taken from the Con-
troller's late report, and their accuracy
msy be relied on.
Add 70 the State taxation the county,
city and United States taxation, and il
is easy to see what is the milestone upon
the neck Of the city Of Memphis.