The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-12-28
OCCUPATION TAXES.

Table Nos 20 and II show amount OF
each series of occupation taxes collected
i'll counties by tax collectors, which aggre-
gate $916,997.53. decrease from the pre-
vious year of s24 1885.
This decrease is accounted for principal
ly by virtue OF the decision of the court
of criminal appeals holding the peddler's
tax unconstitutional, and also by reason
of heavy collections at the beginning of
the previous year from delinquent occupa-
tion taxpayers. The principal receipts
from this source of taxation were from
the following occupations:
Retail liquor dealers paid. .$555, 500
Wholesale liquor dealers. 1900
Liquor dealers, local option dis
trict 49,. go. .....,.... 1000
Beer dealers Observation-Disclosures. 91,200
Merchants, including pawnbrokers. 149,So1
Physicians $50. ..... 1851
Lawyers .............. lilo
banners ''.'''..'.'''''''''' io2uo
Billiard and pool tables .......... 9740
The Twenty sixth Legislature repealed
the law imposing a tax on physicians and
also re-enacted the law imposing tax on
peddlers, which is now in force.
ANNUAL SETTLEMENT BY TAX COL
LECToRs.
Table No. rs shows in detail the account
of each tax collector of the State giving
the amount of ad valorem, poll and occu-
patton tax charged to each collector, and
also the amount of losses in collection
that is, delinquents and insolvents-errors
in assessment, cost of assessing, collect
ing, etc.
collections of State revenue deposited in
the State treasury, s2,341 ,0S0.31; available
school fund, S1,S94, e6333.
Vt is worthy of note that a comparison
of this table with the collections of the
previous year shows decrease In delin-
quencies Of 1881.
take especial pleasure in advising your
excellency that the account of every col
lector in the State has been closed on the
books Of this department for the previous
years taxes, final settlements having been
made by all of them. ] am also pleased
TO report that the collectors throughout
the State have uniformly been prompt in
making their reports and transmitting
taxes collected to the State treasury
COLLECTION OF DELINQUENT TAXES.
BY reference 10 summary of table No CT
1t viii be seen that the total revenue and
school tax collected from this source for
he year ending August 81 1899 was
slso.762.sl. This Is sss,516.1A less. than
was collected for the year ending August
H. 1898, but is in nowise discouraglng
when it is considered that the heavy coll
lections for preceding years have dimin-
ished the number of sales and delinquents
to be redeemed; In fact, the amount col
lected for this year is more than was es-
timated 1t would be.
1t Is deemed proper to state In this con-
nection that there was an increase during
the past year Of nearly 400 per cent In re-
ceipts from forced collections by sales OF
real property to individuals under decree
OF court. This indicates an increased con-
fidence in tax titles which has heretofore
been wanting and which Is necessary TO
enforce the collection of taxes
TAXABLE VALUES.
Table No. 10 shows the property OF un-
organized counties assessed by the comm
troller for 1889, and table No. So shows
by counties the assessments according to
tho tax rolls received from assessors.
The summary OF these tables on page
1875 gives the total assessment OF all prop
erty in the State compared with the -
sessment for 1888. The total value OF 1899
is shown to be s922.927,231, which is an
Increase of $6S.307S 66 over the previous
year This includes $SS, ,070 franchises
and $762,630 OF International and Great
Northern railroad property which has moi
been heretofore assessed. Exclusive Of
these two items the net increase is s2s,-
l07, 166
There is a general increase all along the
line In almost every form OF taxable prop