The Brookhaven leader., 1883-03-08
The French system or Taxation.

The tax officers in France collect the
necessary data or the pre- araiion of
the tax rolls some time IN anuary
About March l, ever occupant of a
house or apartment rcce yes not Ce hat
his taxes for the coming year are as
sessed at such Egure, the amount o.
his personal ia and his license, ii any.
being separately srecificI. If he has
any objection TO make, an opportunity
is given him of doing so. Toward the
end of March each one is notified thar
he must commence pa ing his take,
within eight days from the service o
! such notice. The taxes may be paid in
monthly installmen:s ii the taxpayer so
desires, and we need hardy say that
the mass of the reople are glad 20
profit by this bcne!icent proyis op of the
| law.
For the convenience o payment the
city is d vided into numerous tax DIS.
tricts, and the system is so per,eot that
| payment may usually be made an re-
ceipt obtained within five minutes a'ter
entering the Office; and, OF course. if
the tayparer pre- ers to do 50. he can
pay the whole OF his taxes for the ear
at once or in emi-annual or quarterly
payments.
The theory which underlies the
French system of taxation is that the
rent or rental value of the premises oc-
cup:ed by the taxpayer as residence
is proportioned to The amount OF his
property, and this is, generally speak
ing, a reasonable sumption. At all
events, it poss sses his great advant-
age, namely, that the rent payable by
every citizen may be read ly ascertained,
while the amount of his means can not,
il he chooses to concealit. Under this
syst m every inhabitant of the city, ex-
cept the very poor. is obliged to con-
tribute his share toward the expenses
OF the Government, and consequently
such share is proportiouately moderate.
A few figures will serve to show how
heavy is the bu den imposed upon an
honest ia payer in New York. as com
pared with that which is borne b a man
possessed OF the same means n PARIS.
Let us assume that the property sue
al individual, if out bus;neS
consist, o. personal estate. such as rail-
way bonds and stocks OF the value Of
~1n, ,00i, that the net annual income
there rom is $500, and that the rent
paid by such an indi .idual amounts to
on"-fi tn o his income. raj to 81, 90.
or thHt. bel g engaged business, his
average annual pro t. enable him TO
occ py an apartment of the same
rental value In Paris the party
in q eston would have to- pay
rs contributions m1biiicres about 400
rancs, or. say. $50. Or including
his door and window tax which he paws
through his landlord. say, 80. Ii en-
gagged in business or practic;ne pro-
fession he would haze 10 pa. license
tax or pa'caie, which varies from 100
10 200 francs 1--WE are speaking. of
course. of the mass of the people, and
not of merchants or ComoanieS occupy
ing very extensive and costly premis 8.
whose pate,ste may run up 10 several
thousand fran $, an whose taxes are
pay able out of the profits of their bus
mess, and not ont OF tho ncome de-
rived from their investments such
householder thus pays on an average,
say 1000 francs as the total of his d.
sect taxes. Surprising him to pay 1000
francs directly in the shape of octroi
duties on the provisions consumed by
himself AMI family in the course of the
year (and this allowance we consider
n very liberal one}. we find the total
amount OF his annual taxes direct and
ind ect, 10 be. say 1000 francs, or
500; while in New York person SIM
iiiariy situated would have to pay tif he
made an honest and full declaration
of his property about f-lG per cent.
ON the principal, making, in the present
1aSo his tax amOtlnI IN s9 HllF Evan
il we assume that the l'ar;s.an pays an
add.t onal 500 per year on an average
in the way of success sion an other ex-
cep,ianal taxes, his eontribut ons TO
expenses OF the Government woald be
al the utmost only $500, in place OF the
s., CO. levied upon the unfortunate New
Yorker N y. Post.