New-York tribune., 1879-12-18


TIE PERSONAL. TAX LAWS UNEQUAL.
now iHr TAX lists ARE RrDuCFD-fNENiH"NS
rNu,R iHE LAwS-tNCIsSivE BURDENS LAID
IRON NgW-YoRK CIrY-SCGGfsiIONs ny AZ
TN-T,N COMMISSIONER.
The publication. begun in last Sundays RIB
UNF. of iist of pcr.ons who pay personal taxes IN
New-York CITY. to be followed by = list OF those
who have h,en assessed but who do not pay
together with the reasons assigned by them for not
paving attracted much attention IN the CIV
II was thc General sentiment that the publication
would de- pol. The fact that very many persons
rcputcd 90 Dee wealthy are found hab,tuall' eNempt
from tie payment OF personal taxes under the con-
strncti,n Of the law is known in general WAY. bnt
it was thonght that if the names and amounts on
which taxes are paid could be given i; would have
a decidedly beneficial effect.
How the original number OF persons who are sup
posed to bc subject to taxation Is largely reduced
can bes, b. shown by the operations in the year
1873. On the second Monday in January OF that
wear thc tax-bOokS were opened with l5.91S names
beside = a79 shareholders in banks. During the
four months allowed by law--that is. up to April
3O-5IG9 persons appeared personally before
the Tax commissioners and swore that they ow ned
no personal property subject to taxation. Their
names were stricken from the tax-lSts. Many
Others appeared and had their assessments
reduced. The aggregate number of names. resi-
dent and nonresident subject to taxation
was then placed on the Receivers roll and
Transmitted 10 the Board of Supervisors on the first
Monday .n July. The exact numbers were 1,c20
resident and ., 500 nonresident; making total OF
1O4S4. The Receiver opens his books IN the latter
part of October, when al persons assessed can
paw their taxes TO him. Uniess the taxes
are paid promptly I per cen. additional Is
added M 10 December -. After that up To Janu-
ary l. p.r cent additional i demanded. aud after
Janusiy /. II per cent additional, with the mar
shall, fe 5 added. On January - of each succeed
ing year. the Receiver issues 10 q marshal warrants
tor the collection Of such taxes for the preceding
year as remain unpaid on that date. \ large per-
centaee IF those unpaid collected by the marshal
considerable proportion OF the warrants tor nm
paid taxes of lS7s was returned unsdtistel. The
number oi warrants gwen 10 the mar hal was S.1I3.
of thes, the residences Of 800 Of the persons named
could not be found. Nearly 2.20O we're collected.
The remaining ones were given to f. d. Gale. At
torney for the Collection of Arrears of Personal
Taxes. as unpaid
The great trouble seems 10 b. i'm the large amount
Of property that is exempt from taxation, and the
ready malucr in which the law can be evad's.
The law provides that taxes shall DE paid ON the
full value Of al the taxable personal property
owned by any person after dclucting the just
debts ovc by HIM. II provides also that the ap
phcaut who desires LIS tx reduced OF annullcd
shall be examined under oath. by the Tax Com
missiouors, aad il shall require majority Of such
Commissioners correct or reduce the assessed val
nation of any persons property.
A well-kuown official. conversant with the snb
ect, said thar the publication of the lists would
certainly have a good effect. 1t would show some
Of the Inconsistencies OF the various laws
bearing on the subject Any incorporated COM
pany, whose capital Is invested in United States
bonds. is exempt from personal taxation. and
a man POSSESSING $2JO.OOO IN United States
bonds may borrow on these S2JO,OOO 10
mvesr n business. and he cannot be taxed upon
the property ln his business. The debt upon the
bonds Is an Offset under the law. /, is by this means
that the payment ot the tax personal property
in good part eyldel 1t = dilicnt TO ascertain the
extent of persons debts. ana these are often made
an offset tohis personal property. The taxes col
lected from r9rporaions arr very small As compared
with the clptal thov have invested. the exemp-
lions under the law are many and cover so much
ground that there is little left on winch to lay a
personal tax
II l. admitted on all hands. however that the