The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-01-14
wiz TAXES BIC RAISED :

The Present Rate Is Not Sufiicien,
s 70 ileiray Expense san Income
and liIccnre Tax suggested,
Columbia Cor. News and Courier.
There is u provision in tho new con
! stiiusiou :" that the General Assembly
may provide for n graduated tax on
lucCmes and for u graduated license
on occupations and business" 1t is
extremely likely that the General
Assembly will be Gated uson To pass
{, nc such Law. AS yot tlerc is moth.
: i0g definite On this iinc and the pro-
position is merely in tho air, bat it has
been talked about aad will very likely
be referred TO the General Assembly.
The prime reason for such sugges-
tton is that it is desired to, keep the
State tax levy down TO four and half
mills, and the fear that with the tax
fixed at four and a half mills the cur
rent expenses of running tho State
government cannot be mot. The tax
levy for the fiscal year 1891 1895 is four
and half mills on $l69, ,44S, ,945, and il
all OF the taxes assessed were collected
1T would realize to the State $762, $780,
81, but, as is known, all of the assessed
taxes are not collected, and with tho
SlOO, 600 derived from the State dispen-
sary this will not be sufficient to pay
the general expenses of the State,
which run from 100000 to 5000, 900
under general conditions.
Now the General Assembly, when
1T meets next week, will have TO
provide for the current expenses OF
the State for fourteen months, be-
cause, under the change of the fiscal
year, there are two months out in the
cold that will have to bD taken up in
some appropriation bill. This will
amount to about one-sixth of mill.
In addition there will have to be an
the expenses of the constitutional con-
vention in addition to the $4,000 that
has already been appropriated.
The suggestion of a graduated in
come tax as well as a tax on occupa-
tions and business comes from this
fact: 1t is desired to keep the tax
levy as near four and u half mills as
possible. 1t is feared that four and
half mills will not satisfy the actual de-
mands OF the government, and in the
event that it does not then it is sug-
gested that the special tax be pro-
Vlded for, something on the same plan
OF the supplementary tax under the
educational article in the new con-
answers the needs of the State trea-
suly then there is no need for the in-
come tax that has been spoken Of The
tax department. is of the opinion that
a IL per cent levy will not supply
sufhclent funds for the general State
expenses Judging from past expert
ences and especially now that the dis
peLsary fund is not available for
general purposes.
Comptroller General Norton was
asked whether he thought there would
be any increase in the assessed val
nation OF the property Of the State. |
lie did not seem to think that there
would be. There could be put little !
change, as but few classes of taxable |
property are liable to increases, and
he did not think that the taxable
values would run over $4,000, 900 |
under the assessment that was now
going on.
There is likely to be another pro-
position to increase the funds for the |
general expenses OF the State. Under |
the present law any insurance COM
panieS doing business in the State are |
required to pay to the counties the |
regular tax levy on the net business |
done by the company in the respective |
counties. The proposition is to pay |
this tax on insurance directly to the |
State, and likely making it lower by |
so doing. 1t is said that the insurance |
will prefer to pay the taxes
directly to the State than to make |
returns in each OF the counties and
pay it in the various counties where
.heTo is no regularity in the rate OF
taxation.
1t will be interesting to note tho
tax assessments for number of years
past These figures below do not in
cludc the school levy: