The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-25
NEW TAXING LAWS
 MEAN HUGE TASK FOR COMMISSIONER

some Of the results Of the recent session of the General Assembly are likely to be seen before long in the office of Tax Conmisstoner William H. Corbin because. apparently. his de- pertinent at the Capitol is more af- fected blythe legislation of 1915 than any other in the building. From somewhat hasty scrutiny of the legis- , lation it appears that the statutes have done almost everything to him ] except to increase his salary and that of his assistantss but this is merely a minor detail
 For the past few years the tax commissioner and his two very capa- bIe assistantE have been dragging out placid ex1atence punctuated by the \ receipt of 3. 76O reports yearly in case all of the persons and corporations \ involved came across with their rec ords according to the statute in such k case made and provided. Even that q modest number produced figures < enough 50 that the three occupa-n a-nts s of the office were able to- breakfast, 2 lunch and dine on figures, with few $ left over for after theater parties and ls holiday reflections
 Now, though, they are about to lay s in supplies as if they were a nation q bound to declare war within a month q and they are certainly likely to get E all the traffic will bear, most of the volume coming from two acts, the < succession tax law and that imposing a tax on miscellaneous corporations
 Taking up the former it must be S& Remembered that heretofore, the suc- kA Acession taxes have been handled by ztthe treasurers office but the success assion tax law, Which became effective Bon w ednesday of this week, is intend Bed to shift the work over to the tax
 
 %who died prior to May 19 are still to @be reported to the treasurys office lbut inventories of those deceased af- skter* thai date will reach the tax conn 6. s.rnissioner How many people Ieav- ing property die yearly in Connecti- # cut? That remains to be seen. If decendent leaves an estate valued at more, than $500 a certified copy ot 1.-the inventory must be sent to the tax commissioner office. If the es- ate amounts, to $500 or less it>is sim ply necessary to. certify to the amount.
 And then. after. the inventory is fled, it is up to the tax commission ssE to watch out and see if the state s entitled to any of the property ap6 h ebigger the estate, the greater the ax upon it. If it goes out of the general line of descent, the tax zoe! ap by leaps and bounds. And, les t may be forgotten, the executor ol administrator is required to make sworn statement that the propert! described in the inventory has paic he proper amount of taxes for a mat serof three years prior to the 3deatl when the decedent went from thf 1aisera ble and naughty world to place where the statutes cease iron roubIing.
 Now let s look at the bill regardinl he taxation of misceHaneouss corpora tio1ls. Amy corporation, whether i ls miscellaneous or not, is expected to make report to the office of tn lax commissioner. Before this 1ay he had reports from certain fnancia and public utility corporations and h Is going to have them now. Tn principal difference as to these vii be that the tax will be more easy o computation under the new law thai it was under the old, especially in tn matter of the steam and electric rail roads. In the old days, the state au thorfties fonnd out the market valu of the stock Of the corporations, mad certain deductions and additions made elaborate calculations after ob taining this result, and arrived at sum which the railroad companie acAepted unless they could prove b their own financial experts that it wa wrong. Under the new plan the will pay a certain tax upon thei gross earnings and will make a- re port which will be in part like tha subnitted to the public utilities com mission.
 There will be not far from 200 re ports from the gas. electric, water an power companies and, after July 1 Q this year there will be annual report from the stock insurance conpanie and there will be reports from all na tfonal banks that carry savings de
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