The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-07-25

bury, Norwich, Bridgeport and Stam- ford. .I,
 Compensation, of such officials in making up the list of 1915 varied from $1.31 per day which was paid in the town of Hebron to $2,500 per year, the salary given to assessors in the city of Hartford. v
 The smallest number of individual tax lists was 159, in the town of AndQ- yer, whereas New. Haven had the lar gest number, of individual lists, name ly l6, 1890. | - ' ; New Haven leads with the largest grand list, namely, $155, ,681,221, while Marlborough has the smallest grand list, or $155.S01 The smallest num- Der of nonresident lists of taxable property was in the town of North Ca 1lan, where there were but thirty-four Milford seems to have the largest num- Der of nonresident taxpayers of any town in the state,i 2, 432.
 It is interesting to, note that the average number of Aays of service by all assessors in the state was forty-one days; the average compensation, $2.94 per day; and the total number of tax able lists, 214,778. The pamphlet con tains data furnished by assessors rela- tive to the percentages which in their opinion the assessed valuations of land and buildings in the various towns bear to fair market values of the same. The average alleged percentage ap- pears to be 90 per cent. The tax commissioner, however, calls special attention to the fact that the percen- |tages as furnished in the reports are not considered authentic by the state, but are those reported by local tax off1aicls.
 <; The boards of relief of the various towns, which are required to equalize and adjust assessments for taxation purposes, in some instances worked only one day, whereas thirty-six days were devoted to this work by the board of relief of Bridgeport.
 The compensation paid to members of the boards of relief for their>work varies quite as much as that paid to the assessofs-$1 per day being paid in the town of Andover, whereas in the city of Hartford such officials receive a compensation of $20 per day. The average compensation for such officials in the state was $3.18, as compared with the average compensation of as- sessors of $2.s4 per day.
 The Legislature of 1915 enacted a law which requires all the towns to pay the assessors and members of the board of relief at least $2.50 per day, but this law appears to be ignored by lsixty-four towns.
 Statistics show that LAO lists were increased by boards of relief, to the amount of $4.546,309.
 Some tax collectors are paid a com mission for the collection of taxes, ranging from Ia per cent. in the town of Killingly and 2-5 per cent. in the town of Thompson to 1-2 per cent. in the town of Voluntown; and from $25 in Eastford, Hampton and Wood stock, to $4,O00 in the cities of Hart ford and New Haven.
 The pamphlet indicates that there are only seven towns in this state where on April 1. 1916, all taxes levied on the list of October, 1914, were col lected; namely, the towns of Goshen Norfalk, Torrington, Winchester, Clin- ton. Essex and Saybrook.
 The total amount of taxes collected throughout the state on the list of 1914 on the above mentioned date was 93. per cent. or $16.303,966.24. The to. tai amount of. taxes uncollected on April 1; was $1,135, ,101.12; whereas the total of all unco1lected taxes through out the state on all lists amounted to $2, 651, 1,703.94.
 l The lowest tax rate levied, on the list of 1915 was in the town of Will lington, where the rate voted was bu, mills, the lowest tax rate which has Iobtafned in any town in the state o1 Connecticut for a number of years. Its grand list, however, in 1915 was in. creased 636.72 per cent, the largest increase made in the grand list o1 any town in the state during the year The explanation of the increase is that a very wealthy taxpayer in the town of Wilmington died, and his estate made up of a great deal of intangible property, was put into the local tax list rather than have such propert, registered with the state treasurer
 This enabled the town to lower its
 tax rate to mills, so that tho addf. tional property which brought the in. crease in grand list and correspondins change in tax rate is bringing thf same tax as if registered with the state treasurer and the town is receiv ing the benefit of the tax, which if pait to the state, it would lose.
 The highest tax rate voted in an,
 town in the state on the list of 191!
 was in the town of Hartlan1; namely
 23 mills.
 Some statistics are furnished reIativ,
 to the personal tax which indicat
 that the total number enrolled as O
 October 1, 1915, in the state of Con |necticut was 269.111 male persons Tn
 voting registration in the variou
 towns as given in the report was 23O.
 enrolled for the personal tax. Thirty
 627, being 38,4s4 less than the numbe
 four towns appoint special tax collec
 tors to collect the personal tax. Tn , estimated total expense of assessmen ] and collection of taxes in all the town
 ci the state for the last fiscal year wa
 $265,872.84, or about 1-2 per cent. o , the total amount of all receipts fror } taxes.
 : This is the first year the tax commis