The news & observer., 1897-02-07

lectcd, and this failure to collect entails
upon the Stae loss of $4,000 for the
year 1896"
1t is also proposed by Railroad Commits
sioner Otho Wilson to have the section
of the Revenue Act relating to express
companies changed so as to increase the
States revenue some $4,000 per annum.
This he proposes to do by making the
companies pay tax on whatever business
is done in North Carolina and not on the
receipts in the State as the act now pro
vides. The railroads Of the State, he says,
receive from express companies $229,-
SS2, whereas these same companies pay
per cent tax on only about $65, 900, or
only $1,000.
MIR. Wilson proposes also to include in
this law the telegraph and telephone COM
punips. and to require them to make re-
turns to the Railroad Commission. Alto
gether it is estimated that this act, if 1T
becomes law, would mean an additional
revenue to the State of about $4,000.
Another important change in Schedule
= IS that in regard to license tax for
insurance companies doing business IN
the State. This is one OF Treasurer
Worth's pet measures and will probably
become q law. Under it fire and acci-
dent companies will be required to pay
license tax of 5000 instead of $100, as
heretofore, and life companies will be
charged $3.50 instead of 5000.
1t is proposed to tax peddlers $50 in
stead of $40, a peddler with horse or
vehicle $40 instead of $50 and a peddler
with horses $50 instead of $40.
A special section is to be Incorporated
imposing a heavy tax on cigarette deal
bora, s,r% b.o
committee favor $50.
Auctioneers will be required to pay a
license tax of $40 in addition to the usual
"a of one per cent on the gross amount
of their sales.
Trust companies and pawn-brokerS
will also be taxed $50, as license fee,
in addition TO the regular tax as hereto
fore levied.
The tax of $50 on billiard and pool
tables, kept for public use in connection
with any place where liquor is sold, will
be levied whether the tables are kept
under the same roof where the liquor is
sold OF not
Hereafter all licenses of every kind will
expire June /, unless otherwise provided.
Formerly they have been issued for one
year.
Some change will be made in the man
ner Of taxing dealers in pianos and or
gans. Two plans for doing this have been
suggested-one to place tax on the diff
ferent makes" of instruments; the other
to tax each instrument sold. One or the
other of these plans, probably the first,
will be adopted.
Another important change, and one that
is likely to be made, is to repeal the
tax on druggists and dealers in garden
seeds They are now taxed per cent.
on their purchases, while other merchants
have to pay only Ito of / per cent.
This druggist tax was imposed by the last
Legislature, and aroused violent opposi-
ton on the part of the pharmacists. They
sent representative, Mr.. f. w. Han
cock, of Oxford, before the Finance COM
mittee Friday, to ask a repeal of this law.
The liquor license tax on druggists
may also be reduced Other liquor license
will probably remain the same.
For lack of a quorum, the Finance com
mittee held no meeting yesterday. They
will meet again tomorrow afternoon at
4 o'clock, in the State Treasurer's office