The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-10-27
POLL TAX
DELINQUENTS.
Only About 5000 Out of
$4,000 Citizens Pay.
SOME OPINIONS ABOUT 1T.
Certain Voters Believe Old System
the Better One.
SOME OPINIONS ABOUT 1T.
PECULIAR FEATURES OF LAW.

Once year the City Council passes an
ordinance setting the time for the collect
ing of the poll tax. The Common Coun-
Gil did so last Monday evening and the
action brings to mind the fact that the
poll tax has been peculiar question in
the book of business at the city hall and
outside of it. Every year the poll tax is
Assessed by the tax assessors the Same as
Gil other city taxes. The bills are made
out by this department and then turned
over to the oity treasurer for collection.
There are about ~, 600 of these poll tax
bills and the collectors on the average
succeed in collecting about 35 per cent of
them. The. other 65 per cent romans
on the books unpaid. In other words the
city expects to get So, coo from the poll
tax ana receives about ssc0O. The balance
remains in the pockets Of the citizens.
The profit from tho poll tax goes To the
fund for supporting the public schools
but il In not a considerable amount te-
cause the expense of collecting tie tax is
large. and after deductiug the expense
of labor In the city treasurer's department.
and the cost entailed in the assessors de
partnent and the cost of collection, there
u
re-hsns $1,000 IS the net profit from the
poll tax.
A SOURCE OF ANNOYANCE.
This tax hes never been popular and it
has always been source of annoyance.
IL IL assessed on every citizen who can by
registering become "a voter. 1t doesn't
matter whether he registers or not, he Is
assessed just the same. There Is objection
to this on the rart of certain number
of, bu A yntn nd
who take little Interest," in the qusrrels
and aspirations of politicians.
They conclude that voting does not
amount TO much anyway, rs the party
managers select the candidates of the
parties beforehand, and thus the question
IL narrowed down TO voting for one on
the other party candidates named in the
caucuses. They don't care a rap VINO ia
elected, believing the RESULT Is the same in
any event. IL Is not very praisewortby
way of looking at the subject, but that is
the way IL is looked ot hy n good many
citizens and they dom c want To pay a
dollar during hard times flr something
that they do not valua nc anything They
deny the soundness Of the position that
they are not taxpayers and thus general
contributors To the support of the mum.
cipality They assevt that they are tax
payers through other channels lust "a
effectively as the real estate owner Is who
has TO pay tne present. dOo-bOO aUNAUce.
In support of this assertion they say:
Tax the real estate owner for his properly
in proportion to the rent he receives from
Il, and the Ircscnt rate can be reduced
materially because the revenue viii he
so much greater. In hundreds of in
stances all over the city the rent income
would indicate that particular property
was worth perhaps $40, 600. Look at tho
record In the assessors Office, and that
same property is taxed for 5000 or less
The rent payers declare that they are tax.
payers when they make property valuable
10 owners, aud they are not to blame IL
that property does not contribute to the
city all 10 ought to.
ONE MANS VIEWS.
The possible voter objects to paying
more than his share He il willing To
stand on tho ssne footing with persons
fortunate enough II have real cstats and
personal property. but hs disiikos paying
a dollar more. lie considers that l. what
tue poll tax amounts To- As one man said
this morning when talking on the sub.
ject:
IF tax of this kind inust be assessed,
LET every citizen possessing the right 10
vote ray alike without distinction, or
without property qualification. IL s done
In other states ard IL Is the faireSt way
Continued on Page 2.