, 1908-07-08

to the large amount of arrears of taxes, an
amount which our small resources do not allow
should be lying idle. The Com mittee's orig
lnal proposals for measures to meet this, by
collecting the out standing arrears together
With the running taxes were certainly some
what strong; but the present proposal solves
the question as WE'LL; the Committee has
therefore proposed this and would submit
it for approval-It is assuredly the duty
OF a taxpayer to pay his taxes and not to
owe them and in many instances it has only
been, Representation and. not necessity that the
delay in paying taxes is to be ascrihed,
until we have ultimately arrived at the
large sum of 109,685 FIR. or nearly $4,000,
with prospects Of increases. The proposal
now before us does not intend to crush any
taxpayer, and the Government will surely
be lenient, as usual, when it is found that
hard circumstances necessitate delays of
payment. The Committee can only res
commend the Council to adopt the proposal
as it is, SO that Government will have the
matter before it.
End Member for Frederiksted (Higgins)
said it is certainly a very large amount,
nearly S2l, 900, of Arrears for Taxes, and
which are owed for many years he fully en-
dorsed the views stated in this proposal for
mn application to Government for measures
to procure a settlement of the old arrears
and avoid new ones the plan is quite fair
and, practical. 1t must not be forgotten,
that Arrears have arisen through the habit
OF taxpayers to delay payment of taxes to
the very last moment, on their barely paying
the trlfing levy expenses, in that way
specializing on means that rightly belong to
the Treasury. The Tax Arrears are owed
not 80 much by poorer parties, who can't get
the money in time, us by the we'll to do par
f1no -. TEn l,ll ~c H.
who can pay and should be made to pay in
time. he could therefore readily recon-
mend the measures now proposed to call
forward a settlement, all the more SO as it is
Ienlent measures proposed.
The Chdirman, called attention 10 an error
or omission that has occurred in the English
translation of this proposal, the 4th part
where the words III the Danish Text "det
neste Aars Restancer eller Skat" should have
been added with "for the year following.
End Crownmember (Co"rdu) said he had
overlooked hat omission, it occurs only in
the English translation, not in the Danish
Text.
The Governor said he was happy to be
able to express Governments entire willing
Dess to act on the principle of the proposal,
that IS tC say Ill n general way and under
ordinary circumstances. In extraordinary
circumstances Government must reserve the
right to apply the full force of the law md
on the other hand to grant n short respite.
1t is understood that the present rule, under
which no bill of sale can be recorded unless
on production of n certificate that all taxes
due are paid, stands unaffected by the pro-
posal.
End Member for Christiansted( PyeNo)sai6,
that although the present proposal is not
exactly the same as the original one, by
which ten years would have been allowed
for clearing off he arrears and taxes, such
as was agreed on in the last Municipal Com
mittee, still, this is the natural outcome of
that original proposal, and he finds that
Government: (The GO0ernor: No.tho Munich
p"l Committee in proposing to-. has been
very lenient in accepting the Committees
proposal for the liquidation of the arrears
and taxes for l9O5&19O6 in 4 years, when it
be taken into consideration that Govern
ment has the right to enforce it.
2nd Crownmer7her (Couuu) would OBJ
serve that it Is not that the taxes for 1906
-O6 have A years to G paid, but the object
OF the whole propose is to make it convenient
for tax payers TO meet arrears and pay taxes
throughout, and by . years payments the
whole amount will be cleared of.
End Member for Ghristiansted (Ereuol