Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-19
AUplToR GENERAE scAELh
TnR MAIN FEATURES or HIS REpORT TO
THE LEOlsLATuRE--INTE
FACTS AND FIGURES.


In his report to the Legislature, An
ditor General SohelI says that during
the fiscal year ending November 80,
1850, settlements have been made
against delinquent corporations for
taxes overdue ioT many years to the
amount Of S207 ,237 sS, Of which sum
the amount of l58,09G.Sl has already
been collected and paid into the Treas.
ury.
In addition 10 tho settlements al.
ready made, the department is in pos
session Of sufficient reports and data to
enable il to make further settlements
against delinquent corporations TO the
amount Of over one quarter Of n mill.
ion dollars, and to put the same in pro.
cess Of collection before May |, 1881.
The collection OF delinquent taxes
has been strcquously resisted by many
companies.
Some Of these companies claimed eX-
emption from taxation under special
charters, and they refused to pay until
compelled by law. Others had escap-
ed taxation ior so long time thai
they imagined that they enjoyed pre-
soriptive rights Of evasion.
As the list OF delinquent corporations
extends back over period OF twenty.
five years, the department has expert.
enccd great difficulty in obtaining the
records Of the officers and the location
Of the offices Of many companies, and
when the proper information was OBJ
tanned the department was in many
instances further delayed by the neg.
lect or refusal Of the companies to
make their reports. A number OF set
Elements, involving considerable sums,
are still pending in tho courts.
As q consequence Of these manifold
delays and contests, many accounts re-
main unsettled, and possibly il will re-
Quire one or two years Of patient work
on the part Of the department to close
up all the delinquent cases. II is firm
" believed that the total amount Of
these taxes which have been and may
be recovered will be about Sl,000,0O
Tho total amount of taxes overdue
on December /, 1879, collected during
the fiscal year, is as follows, to wit:
Amount Of delinquent corporation tax
collected during the year, portion
Of which extended back for twenty
Eve yoars.,,.,...,....,.......- ......sl5S, ,o96sl
Amount Of tax on capital stock paid
! by the Pennsylvania railroad, in lit
igation from is77....,............r.... s7,s25s1
Amount Of license tax collected from
Allegheny county which had been
in litigation for several years.,,.,.., 2s2,75s5O
Amount Of arrears Of tax on loans from
city Of phia..,...,.... ......... $4,000 90
lVthl amouht''''''''
The number of building and loan as.
sociations registered in this department
in the fiscal year ending November 80,
1879, was nine hundred and eighty.
eight (9SS) in 1880 the number reg
isiered was twenty.nine (29), making
in all one thousand and seventeen
| (l017), Of which number only one hun.
dred and forty.four (l44) have report.
cd for taxation, The manifest reason
is that the revenue act of 1877 as did
prior acts, contained an exception from
taxation on capital stock OF call build.
ing associations, banks, saving institu.
tions and foreign insurance companies,
and for those years no tax upon eapi,
tai stock was imposed upon any Of the
excepted companies The revenue act
of 1879 excepted from taxation all CAPT
tai stock except that Of building asso.
Citations, and the law in this matter
gave tho Auditor General no alterna.
tive but TO decide that building and
loan associations were taxable under
this act, The opinion was fully sus.
tanned by the Attorney General, Ap.
poals have been taken to several cases
to tho court of common pleas of Dau.
phin county and it is expected that
decisions will bo made in January
next
STATE PERSONAL TAX.
In reference to State personal tax
the Auditor General says "The Board
Of Revenue Commissioners have certi.
fed to this department the amount Of