The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-03-09
SMALL AMOUNT FOR COUNTY
County Will Receive Only Little
Over $4,000 of Big Sum Paid as
Inheritance Taxes From Great Ken
osha Estates.

Kenosha county property will contrl-
butte another large sum to- the state
treasury as inheritance taxes as at
Madison on Thursday afternoon At
torney General Levi III. Bancroft made
settlement of the taxes to be paid
to the state and county on the estates
of the late 2. g. Simmons and the late
Thomas B. Jeffrey. Under the settle
ment the two estates will pay a total
Inheritance tax of $4,000. Of this
amount $4,000 is assessed against the
estate of the late Thomas B. Jeffrey,
this being the largest sum of inherit
ance tax ever paid to the state by any
estate in Kenosha county. The tax
assessed against the estate of the late
q. G. Simmons is placed at $42, 900.
Of course this adjustment of the taxes
against the estates must be concurred
IN by the County Judge of this county
but as the Attorney General has pass
ed on the settlement there is no doubt
but that his decision will be sanctioned
in the local court. The question of de-
termining the inheritance tax on these
estates was a puzzling one on account
Of the various sorts of property con-
nected with the two estates. The at
torneys have been working on the mat
ter with the Attorney General for some
time and it is declared that the settle
ment reached is a satisfactory one.
Under the law only seven and one-half
per cent of the amount paid by the two
estates will be left in Kenosha county
the remainder going into the general
fund Of the state. The amount to be
received by Kenosha county is $10,275
and this will be retained from the tax
es before the return is made to the
state treasurer.
In the past ten years Kenosha coun-
ty with the assessment just made will
have paid into the state treasurer for
Inheritance taxes more than a half a
million dollars and the total amount
received by the county has been less
than $4,000. The County Board of
Kenosha has signed a petition asking
that the basis Of the division Of the
inheritance tax be changed but it is
not probable that the present legisla-
ture will pass any law to increase the
amount to be paid to the county.
Coincident with the announcement
Thursday that the attorney general s
Office has secured settlement with two
large Kenosha estates in inheritance
taxes, minus the county's share of ~
per cent, it was learned that two bills
will be presented in day or two which
are designed to take away from the
attorney general the power to effect
such settlements
One by Senator Blaine will probably
compromise without regular court ac-
ton for the collection of the entire
amount required by law and also will
take away from counties the percentage
now given them of all taxes collected
and substitute only mere court costs.
The order by Assemblyman Moon
will provide that the power of employ
ing special counsel in inheritance tax
cases be vested in the governor alone.
Both bills are aimed in a way at At
torney General L. H. Bancroft and
politically, it being argued, that his
duties should not include such matters.
| 1t is evidently intended by the ad-
ministration to take from that office all
duties-that can be carried as "Adver-
Using" him in political way.