Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-03
NEWARK FIGHTS
BILL TO LIMIT
TAXES INTEREST
CarrolI's Measure Would Re-
duce Revenue on Money Due
to Six Per Cent.
Especial to the Newark star.I ]

TRENTON. Feb. 3.-City Counsel
James r. Nugent, of Newark. APP
peared before the Assembly commit
tee on taxation last night and asked
that that committee withhold it's re-
port on three bills, which, he said.
would interfere with the methods of
taxation in that city.
The bill to which he principally OBJ
jected was House bill No. 20, by As
semblyman Joseph Carroll, Of Hud-
son. making it unlawful for any
municipality to charge more than s
per cent. interest on unpaid taxes,
water rents and assessments for
municipal improvements. Mr.. Nu-
gent opposed it, he said. because it
would be unjust to Newark in that
1t would prevent the city from cnarg-
ing interest at any rate between Z
and y per cent, thus playing right
into the hands of capitalists, who
would be content TO pay the low rate
t. hold OUT their E1oney
.4s an Stauct- z.isHz 1NssS-szzS,s sgs-
tenn of taxation is regarded highly
the city counsel quoted q tribute
which Finance Commissioner George
Brensinger Of Jersey City, had paid
70 it. Mr.. Brensinger said he had
never found one SO good, and de-
clared that he meant TO pattern the
Jersey City system after the Newark
one.
There are about ten bills before the
Assembly designed to reform" taxa
lion methods One is by Mr.. Braek-
ner and exempts personal property to
the value of $1,000 from taxation, and
another. by Mr.. Moore, has for its
purpose the abolishment of all poll
taxes. The one Mr. Nugent most op-
posed, however, was Mr.. Carrolrs. for
the reasons heretofore cited.
This bill of Mr.. Carrolrs .Aould
not be reported favorabIv fcr these
reasons he said, at would seriously
inter fere with the working of New
ark's system of collecting taxes
which now works so effectively, and
the change proposed will not work
to the best practical results
Leave Tax Laws Alone.
4 also ask you not to pass favor
ably on this exemption bill of Mr..
Brackner's nor, in fact, on any ex-
emption bill. | caution you, gentle
men. to leave this tax situation alone,
unless you are going 10 completely
revise the act
Mr.. Brensihger. of Jersey City, will
tell you that we are going ahead in
Newark. Our development there sur
prises ourselves. We are able to have
improvements and finance our city
departments because we can collect
our taxes.
Every fireman, every policeman.
every saloon keeper pays taxes.
This exemption would at once
make 5000 of these exempt right
away. Every school teacher pays
taxes in Newark and if they do not
it Is paid through the department.
People should pay, all of them,
each their little to support the gov
ernment of their municipalities. We
say to the members of the Legisla-
ture not to interfere with these tax
alton laws. 1t has its faults; nothing
is perfect. Let those municipalities
who find it does not work out for
them take up our Newark system, ex-
anime and adopt it, and they will
find it to work out very we'll"
President Moses Reichman, of the
Newark Board for Assessment and
Revision of Taxes, also spoke along
similar lines. Assemblyman Car
roll. father of the bill to reduce the
rate of interest on unpaid bills, de-
clared that it is the poor devil who
pays the high interest for being un-
able to pay his taxes on time" To
him Mr.. Nugent replied
Tax Once Loan Agency.
1T is the poor devil, as you call
him, who pays his taxes. Under this
bill the wealthy man will simply bor-
row from the city the money due at
per cent. If you consider that the
delinquent taxes in Newark for six
or seven years, up to 1912, is only
$4,000, you must see that, in effect,
practically everybody pays
How is the rate Of interest arrived
at2" asked Assemblyman Henry T.
Kays. of Sussex. member of the
committee.
by provisions of the act" replied
Mr., Nugent.
Then it is up to local hodies TO
decide whether they charge or 12
per cent. or any amount between. :"
observed Mr.. Rays.
II think that both Mr.. Nugent and
Mr. Carroll are right" Mr. Brensing
Ell said. Il mean that the committee
ought not to report the bill as it is.
setting a fiat rate of per cent. but
to amend 1T so as to leave IL optional
to municipal governments to charge
6 TO u per cent In Jersey City I
have had the rate reduced TO per
cent. and l would, under this bill re-
duce it to per cent. Nothing dis
astrous happened to Jersey City when
Continued ON Psse 4. Column l.,