The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-10-21

I tes TO pay about the same sta.te
trS Ia 1907 a. they ha.d In - = 8l2tlt
reduced the state taxes OF the IaEna
err. the merchant and the NForlzin1'7
man $3.50 600 per year. This was oEe
or the first fruits OF the tax law e
Now. how was this done HOW -
the S521,O0O annual state tax. when
has been taken from the Shoulders 81
the farmer. the merchant ana tne
Evorkin gnnan, made mp Fron4 8 f3llifs
source does the state get the neces-l
cary revenue to make this good
This IS secured from q number Of IL
cense and special privilege laws Ter
Instance the state iiauOr license was
$3.50 IN 1904. then increased to SogV
IN 1905. and IN 1907 to $500. This
means an additional revenue TO the
state OF about &26O.0oO annually.
AS part of the tax reform meas
rres the Republican party abolished
the payment of fees to state officials
This law went into erect in 1905. and
as result the state has received IN
fees from the auditors Office, $1Os.-i
sos and from the secretary OF states
ONCE $6s.47s.s3, md from the statu=
tory attorney fee law. $S3,455.
The work OF the tax commission
er.s ONCE In securing more effective
enforcement of the various tax laws.
has turned a great deal OF money
into the state treas4ry from corpora
lions ana individuals who formerly
escaped taxes. In 1907, through this.
office alone. over $30O,0OO came Into
the state trea5ury most OF which coul6
not have been collected under the
ola system One small example
Take the law governing the license
rof public shows. From July i, 1893
to July 1, 1904, the last year prior 20
the creation of the tax commissioner =
Office, there was collected In the way
OF license tax from this source. S5,-
1864 From July ]. 1904. fo July
1=19O5, there was collected from tina
same source. and under the same
law, $9,6S2,t6. an increase in 1905 OF
S., 935. S. This was under the same
Iaw Mt the same rate for both,
yearg. the difference being that the
tax department simply enforced the
law and compelled public shows COM
ing into the State to pay their taxes
like any other citizen. From July
/. 1908. to July /. 1903. there was col
Iected from hotels as license taxes.
$5.s6T.75. from July l. 1903 TO july
/. 1905, there was collected S11,9sSSo
nm Increase of :S6,100.55, from this
source alone the first year the tax de-
partment was in existence. The law
governing the licensing OF hotels had
not changed, the difference in collee-
lions being the result OF vigorously
enforcing the law.
=
taxes to an amount of sal, 900 which
had escaped local officials. were cor
lected.
{ The Inheritance Tax.
Take the inheritance tax. We have
had an Inheritance tax law on our
statute books since 1887. The state
collected from the inheritance tax
from 1887 TO 1907. In eighteen years
OF that law on the statute books.
$55,TG5 or at the rate % little over
So, 900 a year In 1895 the collec-
lions were made the duty of the tax
commissioner and S1o,494 was col
lected In 1906, $4,000 was col
lected and. in 1907, $4,000 was col
lected This year it Is approximate
~ the same. In one year the tax de-
partment has collected almost twice
as much as was collected in eighteen
years under the old Democratic law
Now in the last three years $4,000 of
old inheritance tax has been collected
which was just like finding money.
Not only has the tax under the new
law been collected. but that which
should have been collected under the
old law; but the old law placed the
duty on no one to look after II. A
typical case was that of Coils p.
Huntington, due six years ago, and
$1,000. was collected. This shows what
II means to enforce the laws.
These facts show how the Republl- |
can administration has been able to
reduce the state taxes OF the farmer,
merchan. and the worllinEman over
100000 per year. and yet maintain |
sufficient revenue for all state pur-
poses. This has been one of the re-
suits OF the tax law.
The Great Saving.
hut great as has been the Individ- |
uaI benefits to the small taNpayerJ, |
from the reduction OF their state |
taxes. under the new law 1t Is not in |
the state tax alone that the greatest
good has been done. Tho state tax
Is small as compared with the coun- I
ty. district and town taxes paid by |
the taxpayers. The equalization OF
assessment. and the putting on the
tax duplicate OF every kind of proper
~ at IS true value and actual value
have operated to. subject every kind
of property In every county, district
ana town of the state 10 Its full share
of county. district and town tax
Through this operation real estate has
been relieved of n great portion OF
the tnxes, and the burden has been
shifted to those forms of personal
property, such as chattels real an6
credits. that formerly ecsaped taxa
tion altogether. or to the public util-
ity properties. which had boon grossly
paid only a small share of their JUS
tax. Here are the figures. In 1903
the total value of all property in thu
state was S27s, 100000 and the aver
age total tax raised for all purpose;
~ i