The age-herald., 1899-01-25
THE QUESTION OF CUBAN TAXATION
  Gen. Brooke Recommends Some Changes in Present System. CONSIDERED BY CABINET
GOVernOr- Generals Suggestion Mill Prob
 ably Be Speedily Adopted.
THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
With All Its Machinery Could Collect the Taxes Cheaper Than It is Now Done by the Span
 iSh Bank.

Washington, January A.-The protest against the continuation of the Spanish bank at Havana a medium for tax col.ec- ton was thoroughly discussed at the cabi-
 net meeting today. and General Brookes statement of objection carried conviction into the minds of the cabinet officers, al-
 though no final action was taken. The officials of the war department, 1t
 should be stated, in contempla ting the old
 system, had it in mind only as a temporary
 expedient believing that afforded the
 cheapest and quickest method of meeting
 the difficulty the United States government
 found itself in the effort to take upon itself the tax collections. They are, however, perfectly willing to accept as sound Gen.
 eral Broole's suggestions, therefore it may | be expected that the original plan will be l abandoned.
 General Brooke's statement is, in effect, | this:
 The Spanish system of tax collection has | been fruitful cause of satisfaction and has led to more than one revolt, even the last movement being founded in large part upon the extortions and hardships of the tax system.
 The Cubans Distrustful The taxes were heavy, unequally laid and | collected in an extortionate manner. The | Cubans thoroughly distrust the institution l for it's acts in the past, and it should not | now be retained in the reorganization of the | government.
 Looking towards the economical consider 1 ations that were urged, General Brooke | maintains that as a matter of fact ---e 1 United States government, through its own | machinery, could collect the Cuban taxes | at not more than half the sum of money 1 that would have to be paid over to the | Spanish bank based on the collection rate of per cent on collections, though this rate is far below the rate received by the Spanish bank under the old regime. The penalties proposed for default in tax ation are said by General Brooke to be SO severe to make it possible for the bank to foreclose upon most of the real estate of the island and place it in the hands of it's friends, though it is not charged that this would be done.
 Arrears of Taxes
 l Respecting the arrears of taxes General Brooke believes that the people in most | cases are unable to pay them and he 1 thinks that they should be remitted on 1 something like the following lines: All rural taxes that were due but not paid | on December 31 last should be remitted Other remissions recommended are: l All city taxes and those on ground mort | gages in towns wholly or partially destroy | ed during the war that were unpaid De- cember 31 last.
 | All money due the state for transfers of property, of interest due the state on ground mortgages, due and unpaid June 30 last. It is also recommended that property | taken by state be restored, provided the owner makes claim within year and that no innocent third party has acquired it. An Additional Burden General Brooke notes as an additional | burden placed upon the people who are 1 backward in their taxes the requirement. l that these taxes shall be paid in currency l instead of at the rate of 20 per cent. in sil- | yer and 80 per cent. in gold, as under the l Spanish government.
 l Then, to collect the back taxes, General 1 Brooke thinks might cost more than the l receipts, while the United States could give
 no more convincing proof of it's good inten- | tions and good will towards the Cubans l than by the gracious act of at once remit 1 ting these back taxes on the lines proposed l Attached to General Brooke's statement is l letter from Colonel Bliss, the chief cus- l toms officer of Cuba, giving the full ex- l hibit of the tax schedules, the methods of l collection pursued by the bank and all of l the treasury forms Colonel Bliss also takes
 advantage of the opportunity to fully in- l dorse General Brookes plans on the sub- feet of taxation.