The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-19
TAXES HEAVY in PARIS
EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING AS
sEssED, AND 1T COSTS TO DIE.
Rate of Taxation Is About $92 Per
Living Expenses in the Gay City.
Paris Letter in Chicago Tribune.


without troubling themselves to find out
whether they are true or not, the reputa-
ton of being the best taxed city in the
world. Wherever you go you meet people
who speak or ask about it's costliness in
tones of awe. 1t is an interesting subject,
and it will doubtless become more interest
ing after the first day of the new year; but
before the present New York loses her iden-
tity word should be said in her favor 1t
is not just that she should go into history
with a memory of unheard of expenditure,
because that usually means extravaganza.
if not something worse. .
The city most comparable to New York
is Paris What is known to the world as
London is such a conglomeration of sep
arate entities that no figures would apply
equally to any two parts of it. Berlin and
Vienna are essentially governmental cities:
the purely municipal expenditures are so
mixed with those of a national or semi-na-
tional character that it would be difficult
to distinguish them intelligibly. This is like
wise SO to a certain extent with the French
capital, but TWO very weighty items in the
expenditures, police and fire service, while
governmental institutions, are chargeable
directly to the municipality. Other cities of
the world being too insignificant, it is only
Paris then, that can be placed alongside
New York. The comparison requires but a
few lines:
The population Of New York in 1897, ac-
cordlng TO the figures of the Board or
Health, is 100000 The population OF Paris,
by police census, 2,592,OOO.
The total amount appropriated for the eX-
penSes of the city government in New York.
1897, was S45,6S6,O0. The amount for Paris
The cost of the city government in New
York per capita was 1925. The cost in
Paris per capita was $3.50.
The net funded debt of the city of New
York 1897 is $129 ,094 900; per capita, $64S7
The debt of Paris is 1891 100000; per capita,
$205.05. The interest charge on this debt is
So, 654 geo annually in New York and $685.
600 in Paris.
OF the total tax levy in New York 81, $780,,
COO was assessed for state taxes and was
not spent by the city government. In Paris,
however, the departmental tax (Which may
be assumed to stand in the relation of a
state taxi was an additional imposition,
and amounted to $500 600 This, added to
the municipal sum of SOS, $780, 600, would make
S4 430, 600, in comparison with New Yorks
$45 $50 coo.
! Besides having to pay this great tax,
which amounts to over $27 for every man,
woman and child, the proportion of the gov
ernme1t budget which the city OF Paris pays
is nearly one-quarter of the whole sum.
The figures for the fiscal year 1897, partly
estimated, are 1859, 900. Add to this the
municipal and departmental tax, and the
result shows that the per capita tax on the
inhabitants of Paris is not far from 1872.
This taking the average size of families in
all civilized countries but France, would
mean that the head OF the house must de-
duct from his yearly wages or salary about
$500 for the support of his government AS
it is the sum is not half that; the French
family grows smaller and smaller, to the
naive wonder of the government and in
spite of it's almost fearful protestations.
INSTITUTION OF THE OCTROI.
The barbarous but time-honored institu-
ton of the octroi furnishes $31 O00,0 600, almost
half, of the total municipal budget The
octroi, it may not be necessary to explain,
is a custom house especially for the city
of Paris At every gate, at every river
landing, at every railway station, it's Off
GERS stand ready to pounce upon what the
ordinances say is dutiable. Imports from
foreign countries pay two duties, one at
the frontier and one at the gates of Paris.
But the great bulk of the revenues is de-
rived from country produce wine and fuel.
1t strikes the poor with exactly the same
weight that it strikes the rich. Almost ev-
cry article known to man, with the two no.
table exceptions of milk and fruit, pay oc-
troi. The duties are not particularly heaVy,
but they count in poor mans expendi-
lures. Meats, for instance, are taxed from
1 to cents a pound; eggs, l cent dozen;
butter, cents pound; cheese, cents a
pound; fish, from to cents pound; salt,
cent a pound ; coal, from $l.20 to $l.6O ton,
Rents are comparatively cheap, but why?
In the first place a landlord pays no tax on
his property unless it Is rented. In the case
of apartment houses, when an apartment
becomes vacant the landlord ceases to pay
taxes exactly in the proportion the vacant
other words, if half his apartments are UNI
let he pays just half the tax assessed on
the house. In the second place, outgoing
to the landlord, whether they have made
any damage or not; IT is really a charge Tor
wear and tear" In the third place, the
ia
ture he owns, on every door and window in
the apartment he occupies, on every gallon
of water that he uses. If there is gas on
the premises he has to pay whether he uses
it or not. He pays heavy government tax
for the privilege of having it, another tax
for the preservation OF the street MAINS;
another tax graduated upon the number of
burners installed; another tax for the keep
ing clean of the pipes in the house; lastly.
a considerable sum to the gas company for
gas gas is heavily taxed n Paris and the result
taxes mentioned are mostly national, and
bring in over a hundred millions Roughly
speaking, a rent of S2Oo year IN Raris
means about $3.50 when you have paid all the
o OF S means really s. The price Of Fas IS
81 80 a thousand feet. The poor man and
The rich man of course pay each his proper
Personal OR POLL TAX.
In the direct taxes there is personal or
poll tax which amounts TO the value of
three days of your labor, the sum to be
fixed by the assessors. 1t ranges usually
from 81 to ST. Among the other taxes are
those ON your business. If you want to
start a bakery you pay $40 for license
and a percentage on your receipts there
after; if you are barber you cannot open
a shop without paying to the government
beforehand the sum of IS and proportion
OF your earnings as long as you keep open.
These taxes cover every trade, profession
and business Big department stores like
the Bon Marche and the Louvre pay over
$2C0 900 yearly taxes on the business they
transact Every trade operation that is not
touched by this tax is covered by the stamp
duties Every legal document must have its
government stamp. Every check you draw.
every receipt you give, requires a 2-cent
stamp. If you stick up poster on a dead
wall or in a street car, you must put
stamp on it; if you write out sign pro-
claiming that you want an apprentice or
have furnished room to rent and stick it
in your shop window you must attach
stamp to it. If you have dog the gov
eminent charges you 81; but pups are eX-
empt until they are Weaned, under the sur
VIGILANCE of the police. A carriage costs
you S12 a saddle horse s., bicycle 81. A
billiard table is rated the same as Il car
riage-$l2 a year
The custom house duty on sugar is four
fifths of Il cent a pound; the government
tax on domestic and imported alike, is
cites. also matches, are a government mo-
nopoly Considering their quality, the
profit on their manufacture must amount
to several thousand per cent.
Many of these items are, of course. ma
tional taxes. but as they are levied by mu-
inequalities in other countries, they might
properly be regarded as municipal. In any
event they are distinctly germane to the