The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-07-28

rents, subsequent to the statute going in
TO effect on the first and before it became
generally known that rent receipts would
require stamping Mr.. Rutan said that
doubtless such would come under the
law.
II rent for August should have been
paid before July l and the receipt given
then, il would nevertheless be subject to
the tax, although the payment was ante
rior to the time when the act took effect.
Mr. Rutan said that he anticipated or
collect the tax on rent receipts, subject
to the assessment but not stamped be-
cause of ignorance of the necessity, He
thought more. special officers would be
needed to assist him.
Mr. Rutan was besieged by visitors
anxious to get posted upon this new and
intensely unexpected phase of the stamp
act.
Am / supposed to put stamp on
receipt for SIS rent?. asked one Of the
visitors Of Mr.. Rutan this morning
II you have no lease, you are re-
turned the Collector.
What'll that stamp cost?''
Twenty-Five cents for period Of
year or less"
Amt that pretty high proportion?"
1t is in some cases, admitted the Col
lector. If a person collects 81, 600 month
without a lease it's a very small proper
ton, but for a widow who collects -
month it's quite q factor.
Another man wanted to know If lease
made last March was taxable, and he was
answered IN the negative. Then he asked
If receipts given without lease, and
without being stamped in ignorance of
the law required stamps. They were, he
was told and it was suggested to him
that in view of the penalties imposed by
the act, 1t would be safer for him to aft1x
stamps to the receipts.
Il would have been better off If had
put my money into Government bonds,
remarked the man, as he walked away
Still another visitor wanted to know II
80 ~fafer fs1fc
possible for a landlord to affix one stamp
to the book and keep within the require
menrs of the law. TO be on the safe
side the Collector told his visitor to bring
the book to the office so that the form OF
receipts might be seen before any de-
cision was passed upon the point.
Many points are being raised about the
fun construction of the section of the
act referring to rent receipts Gontro-
versies have been started as to whether
the landlords or tenants must pay the tax
phase of the act, the local authorities
call attention to the fact that the word
ing of he statute places the onus upon
the person who tissues" the receipts
Very few of the owners of property and
real estate men in this city are as yet
aware of Commissioner Scots decision.
Those to whom I spoke about the matter
this morning were very Sceptlcal that any
such ruling had ever been made, and 1t re-
uuired copy of the decision itself to con-
vince them of its existence. The real seS.
do but they were an convinved that the
ruling would in some way be modified if
not set aside entirely. It certainly. was
not the intention of the trainers of the
law, they said to make the owner OF
81 a month room pay twenty-five cents
lax on that amount monthly or s. year. ear.
AS one man in the revenue office said this
morning, That's worse than jersey City
taxes"
4 real estate agent declared this morn
ing that the owners of the tenement
houses would suffer the most under the
act.
ssVery few of the tenement house own
ers," he said have leases with their
tenants Where the rents amount to only
q few dollars a month 1t can be. easily
seen that the payment Of tax, Of TWEEN
tv-five cents on every receipt where there
are dozen or more families in house
is going to cost the landlord quite
sum.
1t is not considered by the local off
cials that the tax on receipts applies 70
room rent payments which are made
weekly, as q rule. The latter class Of
the head of Boarding more so than
under the construction placed upon rent