The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-10-23
SAVANNAH'S TAX PAYERS.
BIG AMOUNTS SOME OF THEM PAY
THE STATE AND COUNTY.

Fortunes, But There Are No Par
ticuIar Signs of MiIIiOnaires-The
Ocean Steamship Company the
Largest Corporation Tax Payer.
Some Nice Individual Checks Also
to he Sent in-One Tax Payer Who
al Who Range From Two to Ten
Cents-NOt Likely That the County
VIII Have to borrow Money.
There has not been any particular rush
in the payment of taxes since the books
were opened for their collection by Capt
j. J. MCGOWAN, but from the showing
made so far Capt MCGOWAN thinks it will
not be necessary for the county to borrow
$4,000 for the purpose of paying obliga-
tions now due. An order on this subject
was passed by the county commissioners,
to provide for an emergency, but it is now
thought the funds in the treasury will in
crease rapidly enough to make borrowing
unnecessary.
Some of the largest tax payers have
amounts due by them to the state and
county. The state and county rate of tax
alton, as is well known, is S11.06 on $1,000.
In other words $11.06 paid to the tax col
lector represents 81, 900 worth of property,
real or personal, returned for taxation.
One of the largest amounts that has yet
been paid to the tax collector is $2,041.6S,
which of course represents pretty snug
fortune, somewhere near $500 700. Another
individual has given Capt. MCGOWAN a
check for $9Ss76 while his firm has sent
in another for $9S907
Some of the figures on the tax digest
are interesting, The Ocean Steamship
Company is perhaps the largest single tax
payer in the county, paying the state and
county this year S9,1S8.65 on valuation
of $3.50, 800. The taxes of most of the large
corporations, the banks included, always
reach big figure, and while they vary
somewhat from year to year, they remain
nearer the same than do the taxes Of in
dividuals. One of the largest banks in the
city, whose capital is 100000 pays this
year to the State and county $5,12929, and
another $7Ol5.SO. one of the big cotton
press companies pays $2654.4O. Other cor
porations will have to come up with
checks, varying in size all the way from
$500 to 5000 or more.
Some of the individual taxes are inter-
esting. The figures show the existence
in Savannah of number of good snug
fortunes, but they do not, as some might
suppose, indicate the existence of any
millionaires. If there are such in SaVan-
nah, it does not show up on the tax di,
gest 1t is no doubt the case that many
of those who make returns here have
property elsewhere, and then, too many
OF them own shares of bank stock, and
stock in other corporations, upon which
the corporation itself pays the tax 1t
might often be the case, therefore, that
a man who makes a pretty good return
is actually worth three, four or five times
the amount that appears on the tax
book opposite his name.
One of the largest personal taxes to be
paid in the county this year is IS, 900.3l
which represents valuation of more than
$S50,OO0. Another check that will be sent
in by large owner of real estate will
be for 1890. 80, and another 81, 5S513 One
firm on the Bay is taxed $2,14S.96, while
one of its principal members will send
the state and county a check for 81 ,O35 II.
Another large merchant will pay ST. 1928
and from there the amounts run all the
way among the larger taxpayers from $500
or $500 to $1,000 or more. There are sew
still on the tax digest as SUCH some of
them paying as high as 5000 or more, bur
the largest estates have been sub-dividef
several times over. and do not show any
very large expenditures for taxes now.
But there are some interesting features
at the other end of the scale There are
many whose taxes on property amount
to between 25 and 50 cents, there are sew
eral as low as or 10 cents, there are
two or three who pay the state and county
cents, and there is one who pays only
cent taxes. This taxpayer is a woman
who owns a small piece of land in the
northwestern part of the county, the val
ne of which is returned at less than 81.
According to law, If she failed to pay
this l cent, the property would have to
be advertised and sold, and the legal
fees for this process would run UP to
several times the value of the property
itself. This, however, does not occur in
fact, as taxpayers who pay such small
amounts are looked after in Capt. Nc
Gowan's office to prevent the worry and
trouble of going through with long
legal process which would be the same as
If the property were worth thousands.