Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-02-05
1907 STATE TAX LEVY
COMPARED With 1906
Its Relation to the County Tax,
19O6-19O7.
Secretary of State, J. A. Frear, Prepares
Statement From Official Records,
as Shown Herewith.


In response TO inquiries the state
department at Madison has prepar-
ed the following statement respect
ing items composing the last state
tax levy and the prOportionate
part borne by the several counties
Of the state as compared with the
1906 tax:
The state tax levy for 1906 was
limited to one half of the tax ordin-
ar lily LEVIED for common schools
and amounted to $643, $50. All
other taxes were RENTED. A brief
statement of the receipts and ex-
penses by the state for the fiscal
year 1907 and its relation to the
1906 state tax levy is presented in
this connection. The balance in the
general fund of the state treasury
ON June Both, 1906, was 81, 225, 992.-
20.
The total general fund receipts
by the state for the ensuing year
were SIS, 122, 34417. These receipts
were contributed from various
sources including the railway taxes
Of So, 673, III II, insurance tax and
fees amounting to 1868, 1858 and
smaller sums received from inheri-
lance tax, licenses, corporations and
other fees ali of which contributed
TO the total of SIS, 122, 344 II.
During the same period the total
state disbursements from the geuer-
al fund amounted TO SIS, 634, 655.7C
or half million dollars in excess of
the receipts. These disbursements
included 1919, AL As paid by the
state for maintenance of charitable
and penal institutions together with
innumerable other items, all paid
ont under specific legal provisions.
These items covered the cost of
maintaining the state government,
including the courts, departments,
and different bureaus; all the direct
appropriations by the legislature,
and monies contributed toward
educational institutions, which latter
items amounted TO substantially
one half of the entire state disburse-
ments.
No state tax levy was made in
1906 for any purpose whatsoever
excepting for One-half of the com
mon school tax above mentioned
which amounted to $643, $50, This
amount was charged against the
different counties and afterward
distributed among them together
with the additional amount of $643,
ESQ, not levied, the annual appro-
priation of 5000, 600 required by law
to be paid out of the general fund
for common schools and the sum of
$187, lis, interest on school trust
funds, making total of 81, ga, AIS
distributed among the counties. In
other words, in 1907 in addition to
paying all expenses of state govern
ment, the state paid back to the
different counties $1,O3O,795 more
than it received from them in taxes
for the year 1906.
This was possible owing to the
large treasury balance arising from
unexpected receipts from the nation
al government, increased railway
and cooperation taxes, together with
amounts recovered by the state in
suits for railway back taxes all of
which swelled the general fund to
an unprecedented amount. OF this
state tax levy, Grant county paid
the sum of $13, 5000 to the state
toward the support of the common
schools and received back from the
state the sum of s2S, O71.3s for the
same purpose in addition to the
other payments and benefits men,
toned for educational purposes.
When the commissioners met In
1907 to ascertain If any remission of
taxes would be possible, it was
found that the extraordinary drafts
upon the state treasury for the pre-
ceding year rendered it inadvisable
TO remit taxes for educational pur-
poses and such taxes were therefore
levied as follows:
Graded schools. :. 80. $500, 900
Free high schools. 49,. I25. 900
University .... GA, 657
Normal schools. $50, 900
Common schools 80. 1873, 40
Interest on state certifi-
Gates OF Indebtedness. 157, $40