The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-26
TO CHANGE CITY TAX YEAR
BOARD OF FINANCE AND AS- SESSORS FAVOR NEW SYSTEM.

Taxes to be Due January Instead of
 April 1--May be Paid in Semi-Annual
 stallments-COmmittee Appointed
 to Drapt Blll for LegIsIature--NIany
 Minor Changes Will Follow.
 A special committee was appointed fast night by the board of finance, to act with Corporation Counsel Daggett, to draw up bill for the general as- sembly asking that the tax year for this city bA set forward from April to January 1. This bill will be read at the next meeting of the board of finance, when it will finally be decided whether or not to present it to the assembly. The committee consists of Mayor Studley, Controller Rowe and George w. Lewis.
 There seems little doubt but what the action of the board will be for the passage of such measure. A confer ence was held with the tax collector and the board of assessors last night and the sentiment was unanimous in it's favor. There will not be public hearing at this time on the matter, be- cause by a rule of the assembly all new business must be presented by Febru ary [ The time, therefore, would be too short. The board of finance con- siders that it has the backing of the public, however, because three public hearings were held when the matter came up two years ago and the public sentiment was in favor of the change.
 According to the proposed change, the tax bills will be sent out on the first of January and the taxpayer has the opition of paying the entire bill at once or of paying one-half at that time and the rest on July l. Taxpayers will be given until March 1 to pay the first installment, and until September 1 to pay the second, interest charges on un- paid taxes to be received from the lat ter date. It will thus be seen that the poorer taxpayers will have the advan- tage of an extended time in which to pay their bills, and the hardship on
 
 who have a bank account will be en- tabled to get six months extra interest on their money, while the wealthier man can pay the whole bill at once if he chooses.
 The advantage to the city will also be considerable. Under the present system taxes are due on April 1. Thus the money for the expenses of the first four months of the year do not come in until after many of the bills incurred have to be paid. In anticipation of the taxes the city has to make short-time loans to cover these expenses, and in the course of the year the interest on these loans amount to considerable. The object, then, is to have the money to meet these expenses when they are incurred. An additional necessity for the change is brought about by the change of time at which the license money from the county commissioners is payable to the city. Heretofore this money, which amounts to $150,000, has been paid into the city treasury during the month of June, but owing to the change in the time that the city cleo fion is held the money will hereafter be payable in December This asset is an important one, and, if the present system continues, would necessitate the borrowing of larger sums than usual to meet current expenses. This change will not affect the city treasury very much this year, because the county commissioners paid the taxes for year and a half last December,
 The change, if accomplished, will go into effect on January 1, 1908. It will necessitaJe many minor changes in the collection of the taxes. Under it the tax lists must be presented on June l instead of on October l. The board of relief will sit in October instead of in February, and the estimates of the va fious city departments will have to be presented to the board of finance in the month of August
 Another source of considerable enl- i barrassment to the city treasurer is the fact that the fiscal year of the board of education begins on September i in stead of on January 1. It Is possible l that an attempt may be made later to make this coincide with the fiscal year ,i+ JoDort,,,op4e