The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-11-04
H0UCHTON CO..
THIRD IN LIST
Has Paid a Total of Over $5,000,.
600 in State Taxes

ndS Pdlu a l0tdI or uver $5,UUU,'
600 In State Taxes
How much in taxes woull you guess
the state of Michigan has raised since
1t was admitted To statehood In 1871
asks Frank NJ Sparks in the Grand
| Rapids Herald. Probably not n man In
Michigan could make guess within a
reat many millions Of dollars or tho
amount. Auditor General Fuller has re-
Gently had occasion To compile figures
showing not only the total state taxes
levied from the years 1888 to 1913, but
also the amount of state primary
school fund that has been distributed.
This he has done by counties and q
most interesting table IL the result.
But 10 answer the first question. Mr..
Fuller shows that since the organi.a -
ton of the state a total Of Sll2.77i,-
| $500. Wayne county, of course ., has
paid the largest amount. During that
| time that county has contributed sell
01',65?.35 to the operation of the state
government. Kent county stands sec
ond with total state tax levied since
the organization of the state of Sc
3,39S.3O.
Third in the list comes Houghton
county with n total Of $5,2Ss.747.45.
Washtenaw county is next with $685.
317G9.
Nearly sSo,0oO,ooo Paid Back.
ON the other side of the fcnco-"the
/ come back side"-hy which the var
ious counties have received money
back through the distribution of the
primary school fund. Mr.. Fuller shows
{ that since the organization of the state
Il total of $40, 50l ,564.97 has been dis
tributed throu h the primary school
fund. Thus there has been distributed
in the aggregate but s3i,27O.O21.35 less
than has been collected for the opera
tion of the machinery of the state.
In these figures those who have for
several years argued that the primary
school fund should he abolished as
such and turned into the revenue of
the state will find new grounds for ar
gument.
Wayne has received the largest
amount from the distribution with Il
total of S11.TS02l1.5i or nearly $1O.-
100000 less than she has raised I'm
taxes. Kent comes second with re-
ceipts from this distribution amount
ing to 46.OO2.2O. or nearly 100000
loss oh Ia,
Houghton is third with about $1,000
600 less than she has paid and follow
ing these comes SAGINAW and Bay.
In 4G counties the state tax has eX-
ceeded the primary distribution in a
sum aRgregating s39,SSi,9 S3S3. In 80
counties the primary distribution has
exceeded the sums paid in taxes by an
aggregate of $5.s14,962.4S. Two coun-
ties. Isle Royale and Manitou have
been disorganized since the organiza
ton Of the state. which accounts for
the discrepancy i'm the number of coun-
ties.
Got Back More Than Paid In.
Huron county has received total Of
1860, S99.62 more i'm primary money
than it has paid i'm i'm state tax. Many
other counties have received large eX-
cesses of fund over tax.
The excess of primary school money
over the state tax has i'm recent years
been quite lar4c. hut Auditor General
Fuller gives the information that with
the expenses of the state increasing
rapidly until We can scarcely expect
state tax of less than $4,000 900 annual
~. Il is not likely there will he much
excess of primary money hereafter be-
cause the total of primary money hard
~ reaches the S6.000.00O figure.
Large Increase Per Capita.
Another interesting fact developed by
the auditor general is relative to the
increase in the per capita tax. He has
received information from North Da-
kota to the effect that the per capita
tax in that state is just the same now
as it was 20 years ago. Mr.. Fuller
looked up the situation i'm Michigan
and finds that in 20 years the per capt. !
Ia tax of Michigan has increased re-
In 1895 the per capita tax
in Michigan was 50 cents. while in
1913 it was increased to S3.05.
These figures are particularly inter- |
estin to students Of taxation and, /
since Michigan must right soon tackle |
the task of revising our taxation laws !
to meet modern requirements and /
hanging conditions. everybody should |
study taxation tn some extent at any |
rate. The figures which NJ. Fuller has |
compiled in detail should he given |
careful consideration, since they fur
nish much food for thought
Merchant Marine and the Navy.
Writing in the Navy, Winthrop l.. |