The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-09-30
TAX RIEfORIIhAS N
SHOWN INONE
PARTMEN1'
Office Of State
Tax Commissioners c

|. CHARLESTON. w. Va Sept. S0.--
The work Of the tax commissioners
ofice for the States fiscal year just
ended, September goth, has been al
very busy one and especially so the
last six months. AS indicating, some
what, the money value Of this depart
ment to the State government, few
facts will be interesting.
The new license laws, as amended
by the legislature Of 1907 went into
enect May 22d. The Law did not go
into erect Immediately upon Its pas,
sage, the minority party refusing the
two or three necessary votes to give
the motion the required two-thirds
vote. 1t was argued on the floor of
both houses that this action of the
Legislature would deprive the State of
increased liquor license taxes to the
extent Of at least $4,000 during the
present year, as the license tax year
began May first and the new laws did
not go Into effect until May 22d.
Tax Commissioners Views.
After careful study Of the law the
tax commissioner held that the new
liquor license tax rates became opera
tive on May 22d, and that liquor
dealers should pay at the old rates
from May list to May 22d, and at the
new or higher rates from May 22d
on. This view was resisted in quite
a number of counties and much
strenuous work was thrown on the tax
commissioners office. The matter was
even taken into the courts, where the
ruling OF the tax commissioner was
sustained, as far as the case went.
The amount Of the new revenue col
lected by this one effort Of the tax
commissioners Office aggregated the
large sum of $106,977.51, and it is safe
to say that not one dollar of this
would have been collected under the
old system of having no head to the
tax system Of the State, for it would
have been no one county's business to
make test.
In the estimate made by the legis-
lature the State auditor figured the
probable receipts from the collateral
inheritance tax laws at s25OOO for the
year 1907, and S25,OOO for the year
1908. One Of the first acts of the
present commissioner on taking Office
April 1st, this year, was to organize
the inheritance tax work and make 1t
a special department with a compe-
tent man in charge to give the work
his undivided attention. The results
are that the taxes collected from the
collateral inheritance laws reached for
the year just closed the handsome
figures of over $95,OOO. Tax commits
sioner White estimates the collections
for next year from this source at
still larger amount, in excess of $780,
900. The new inheritance tax laws,
which will bring in more revenue, will
not begin to have their effect till next
year. Very little, If any, of the tax
collected for the past year, was under
the provisions Of the new law effective
May 22d, as the estates so far settled
were of those who had died prior to
last June.
Licenses Taxes.
The active field work Of the assist
ant tax commissioner, with occasional
help from the main Office, has result
ed in the unearthihg and collecting Of
license taxes, ETC., aggregatlng fully
$4,000, practically all Of which would
have been lost without personal In
vestigatlon and effort. In addition to
that, at least $4,000 more of taxes
were paid into the State treasury ow-
ing to the activity of the tax commits
sionet's office, including such matters
as clrcuses, real estate agents,
brokers, wholesaling beer or liquors,
retail liquor dealers, slot machines.
automobiles, restaurants, hotels, to-
bacco dealers, bucket shops, parks.
etc, etc., and especially the suits had
and efforts made to collect the capita
tion taxes.
1t is conservative to state that the
amount Of money placed in the State
treasury during the past fiscal year
by the activities of the tax commits
sioner's office approximate closely a
quarter Of a million dollars.
Holding Down Taxes.
Another great field Of work is in
saving the taxpayers Of the State un.
necessary taxes and in enforcing the
laws limiting tax leyies to the actual
amounts required and within the max
imum allowed by law. To illustrate
the nature Of this work a few facts
may. be cited,
There are about I'VE hundred school
|IegyinE bodies IN the state. An Of
teonAnped on Pane Four.l