The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-08-17
|EEGuIl

t.
was House bill No /, the genera
4 lscense tax bill. This bill covers for
Il " printed pages, and is practically
3 revision of the code on the subjec
II of license. It Increases the licens,
II tax on the sale of liquors. on brewers
Il and distillers. imposes a new license
I tax on the sale OF tobacco and cigar
4 .ettes, puts a license tax on house
boats and a number of other objects
of taxation and generally Increases
1.-THE rates on existing subjects of Ii
cense taxation. It is too early to es;
1 Inmate the increase in revenue from
this bill, but. taking into considera.
ton the subjects and object with
/ which it deals, it ought to produce, of
4 new or additional revenue, as much
as direct tax Of ten cents would
produce
| Down to Five Cents.
The important feature OF this BILL
however, is the fact that it reduces
our present direct State taxes Of thir-
ty.five cents on the 500, eleven cents
in 1905, an additional eleven cents
in 1906. and an additional eight cents
in 1907. leaving only a direct State
tax of five cents after 1907, which
shall be devoted to the public schools.
1t will thus be seen that the Lesis-
lature has provided for wiping out
six.sevenths OF the direct taxes of the
State inside of the next three years.
This of itself is a magnificent achieve
ment and worth every year, the cost
Of several extra sessions of the Lesis-
lature.
Another important bill IS Senate
bill No. /, creating the Office of tax
commissioner, and rewriting and re-
visins the entire system of law in re-
gard to the assessment of taxes. 1t
sors and assessments, the most of
which does not commence until 1909,
and for annual assessments thereaf-
ter. The law as to annual assess
ments could not be put into effect
this year before the election this fall
and many of It's operations in re-
gard to assessors and assessments of
real estate, etc. necessarily begin in
1909 but the Office of tax commits
.
ingly important step and created a t
head to the tax leyying and tax col
Letting system of the State. This I
office is destined to- be one OF the |
most important Offices in the State, |
and will amply justify the wisdom
of the Legislature In creating It..
The entire system Of assessing car
lines. pipe lines, telegraph and tele-
phone lines, is perfected and placed
in the hands Of the boards OF public
works under this bill. These Import
This is the long bill referred to In the
beginning OF this interview and is a
tax reform measure of the greatest
Importance. 4
Sessions Cost Made.
Other important bills which might
De briefly referred to- are House, bill
No. z, taxing collateral inheritances,
Which will proveEa great revenue pro-
iucer. Senate bill No. z, which win Z.
AVE the State in about two years, the
.ost Of the special session of the Leg
stature. namely, in the method of con s.
.eying prisoners to the penitentiary,
4 = - 4 .
relieves the sheriffs of this duty 81
md imposes it upon guards from
he penitentiary, thus insurins a great
aving TO the State over the present
Method OF taking deputy for each
Another important bill is House
III No. 2, fixing the fees for all kinds
+ services rendered in the Offices of
he auditor and secretary of state,
Increasing them and adding new ones,
II of which viii go into the State
after March 4th. roo5. This
expected to produce a large amount
money annually,
One of the most important OF the
mailer bills is House bill No. %, :
hitting the maximum of the county
IVY hereafter to sixty cents. "A COM ?
anion bill to that in some respects
); Senate bill No. 5. relating to edu-
alton and limiting the 1evies for :
uilding purposes. and imposing other :.
about the same, and also q
aducing somewhat the emergency
,vies, which are now authorized to- /.
E made when necessary to maintain .
We months Of school. :
Senate bill No. "a enacts a money :,
uexxPI5