The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-10
A HIGHER TAX RATE.
Lff<ELY TO RESULT FROM THE DE-
CREASE IN TAX RETURNS.
IT'S BOUND TO BE MADE.
UNLESS COMMISSIONERS ABANDON
IMPROVEMENTS In PROSPECT.

Tax Rate for Last Year Was $7.56
Per $1,000. which Was Higher
Than 1t Had Ever Been Before.
Likely to Go Higher still This
Iear-Vice Chairman Moore Sees
No other Way Out of 1t, Unless
improvements Already Decided
Upon Are Abandoned or Post
poned-Mr. Moore Joins in Won
derinE at Number of Those Whose
only Property Is Their Polls.
An increase in the county tax rate is
likely to be one of the results of the
SAP, 900 decrease in the tax returns for
this year. While the amount of the
tax rate has not yet been decided upon
by the County Commissioners, there
seems little reason to doubt it will be
higher than it was last year.
The rate for last year was 81 SO per
81, 900, which was higher by 81. 81 than
the rate for the year 1900 and higher
than the rate had ever been before. AS
there is no indication that the state
rate will be lowered the taxpayers of
this county will probably have no &C.
casion to welcome any reduction in the
amount of their public dues.
Vice Chairman A. 3. Moore, Of the
board of County Commissioners, said
yesterday he saw no reason to hope
that the rate would be lowered. He
knew in fact it would not be and so
stated and at the same time expressed
the fear it would be increased.
Will Have to Raise Rate.
with the reduction in tax returns
shown by the digest" said Mr.. Moore,
1--WE shall have to raise the rate If
we expect to carry out the plans for
the improvement of the county we
have already made. Otherwise the
necessary amount of revenue cannot be
raised"
At the next meeting of the COM
missioners, which will be held on
Thursday, a special committee will be
named to make UP the budget of ex-
penditures for next year. An approx
innate budget was made up in last
March and this will be revised and
all needed changes made by the COM
mittee. BY the budget thus compiled
the amount of money needed to run
the county will be shown and this will
indicate what the tax rate must be.
The indications are that 1t will be
$775 at least, unless the commission
ers should decide to abandon or post
pone some Of the works of public inn
provement upon which they have al
ready decided.
Mr. Moore was asked If he was able
to account for the falling off in the
tax returns, but on this subject he pro-
fessed his complete ignorance.
Only own Their Heads.
However, it looks strange" he said,
THAT there should have been SO many
causes to contribute towards a de-
crease and none sufficient to make it
up. If Mr. Baker can't explain it I'm
sure l can't.
Il have been struck by the Morning
News report of the conversation with
an official of the controller generals
office, in which he comments upon the
large number of poll taxpayers who
return neither real nor personal prop
erty. It does seem to me that many
of these must own something besides
their heads, and If all this large num-
Der each returned a small amount of
property for taxation the decrease we
now face would probably have been
made up"
Tax Receiver Baker was asked yes
terday If he had anything to add to
the explanations already published in
the Morning News of the decrease in
the digest and it's causes.
Nothing whatever" was the reply.
81 have done my duty as l saw it al
ways, and whenever 1 have permitted
decreases it has been because 1 felt
justice demanded it. 1 would have
been gratified had the digest shown
an increase, but 1 cannot regret any
action have taken, even though,
decrease has resulted"