Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-06-06
The Collection Of County TAX,


There needs to be some amendment in
the mode Of collecting the county tax in
this town. The practice In the town
ship Ia generally satisfactory, because 1t
is the custom Of the tax collectors there
to walt upon the property owners per
sonally before the day arrives on which
the percentage Ii taken of for prompt
payment, notifying them Of the date and
giving them the opportunity to pay their
tax. In this city, however, the custom
Of the collectors Is to advertise the day,
and the place where they will receive
the tax. II this advertisement was pub
lished continuously In the daily newspa'
pers. and II the collector would employ
sufY3cient clerical force to accommodate
the taxpayers when they appear in
crowds during the last lew days
OF the abatement, there would be
no cause for complaint. But the
fact is that the advertisement is
published but once, and that the collec-
tor has no assistants In taking the tax !;
30 that many taxpayers are ignorant of
the flnal day of the abatement, or forget
It; and those who remember 1t, and
appear at the tax collectors Office, on the
last days, are kept waiting for hours
and many 60 away because they are un'
willing to endure the annoyance. TC
increase the evil, the two collectors, tc
whom the law requires the tax collec
tiops to be given in this city, are merged
into one, by the assignment Of his func
tions by the one to the other. Further
imposition is Pra,tised by the refusal Of
the collector to keep his office open aftel
three o'clock in the afternoon, on tn,
plea that he must put his money in banl
on the day he receives 1t, under instruc
tion OF his bail.
That is q plausible excuse, but 1t /!
we'll known that the real reason which
prevents the collector from facilitating
the payment of tax to him, while tn,
abatement can be had, is the fact tina
he can pay all Of the tax on his dupli
cate to the county treasurer any
time during the week when tn,
abatement ceases and himself receiv,
the benefit of the three per cent. abate.
ment which the county allows. 1t i
because Of this practice that the tax col
lection is taken for nominal sum an(
the abatement offered by the county TO
the benefit Of the prompt taxpayer work
for the benefit of the knowing collecto
and to the disgust and annoyance of tn
citizen. Perhaps the collector is no
greatly to be blamed for ekeiug out tn
pittaDce he receives for the collection c
the lax by scheming to get the tax
payers three per cent abatement, at tn
cost of bis repute for obligingness of di
position. But the county commissioner
when they see how unsatisfactory the
plan works In certain places should II
to amend 1t. In Chester county the
have q better system. There the count
treasurer receives the tax on stated day
at stated places in the county, and a
that is not paid to him Is collected as d,
linquent tax at the cost of the deling uer
taxpayer. II our commissioners persis
in their present plan they should at leas
see that proper advertisement Is given t
the taxpayers Of the day of abatement
and that sufficient clerical force is EN-
ployed or that the collectors office /:
kept open sufficiently long on the fna
days to ensure an opportunity to every
taxpayer to secure the abatement, who
desires to do so. The collector has nc
right to cease collecting tax at thre,
o'clock on the final day, as the tim'
during which the abatement is allowed
does not expire until midnight. Th
order OF his bail cannot countervail th
order of his warrant.