Bridgeton pioneer., 1916-11-02
TAX PAYING
time AGAIN
lax Rate, Like Living, ON
Upward Jump.
INCREASING.
High Valuations Now Make Tax
Increases Heavier Burden
All the Time.

The tax rates for the municipalities
of Cumberland County have been
fixed by the County Tax Boards. The
various tax collectors are now max
ing out the tax bills and they will
shortly be in the hands of the tax
payer In less than three months the
taxes must be paid.
1t is shown by the record that in
almost every municipality in the
county the tax rate has increased. In
Bridgeton and Millville the rate has
jumped decidedly and both munich
palities will this year pay the highest
tax rates ever levied upon the people.
The increased rate comes too, in
spite of greatly increased valuations
made upon property during the past
few years.
In Bridgeton owners of real estate
are paying from 40 to so per cent.
more money in taxes than they did
five years ago. Indeed, in some in
stances the taxes upon property have
been actually doubled.
The tax rate of Bridgeton which
this year jumps to $215 is based up
on an estimated balance and collec-
tons in hand of $61 900. Unfortunate
ly in this estimate is the entire col
lection of water rents for 1917. thus
the authorities are anticipating an en-
tire year ahead. In actual cash there
will be but little money in the hands
of the city treasurer on January list,
1917.
1t is unfortunate that Bridgeton
has no scientific financial system. AS
a matter of fact, there is no system
at all. Not in years has there been
an annual cash balance struck. Not
in years has any effort been made to
determine how nearly the cash re-
ceipts met the annual expenditures.
The city treasurer makes no distfnc-
tion as between the receipts of one
fiscal year and another. 1t is easily
conjectured that Bridgeton will short
ly be required to provide another is
sue of refunding bonds to provide
against the borrowing of money from
the banks in anticipation of tax COL
lections.
In 1909 the City Council borrowed
$4,000 to pay off all floating indebt-
edness and start the fiscal year 1910
with a sufficient amount of money to
meet the expenses of 1910 without
taking dollar of 1910 receipts.
Those bonds are to be paid off in 1924.
In 1904 there was a funding bond is
sue of $50,000, which will come due
in 1889. Thus today the city is pay
ing interest annually upon 5000
and providing annually an appropri-
alton for the sinking fund to retire
the bonds. All of this vast sum OF
borrowed money was used to wine
out ffoated Indebtedness which re-
suited from not providing actual cash
for paper appropriations.
Each year there is an actual cash
deficit between the amount of money
appropriated and the amount of cash
actually received. The failure to
strike an actual cash balance each
year permits this deficit to increase
each year until finally the treasury is
barren and funding bond is neces-
sary A fourth funding bond will be
made before any of the three now ex-
listing are paid off.
In view of these facts it would seem
that the first duty the city officials
should take up is to devise a financial
system that is at least business-like
and which is actually required in any
private business enterprise. The
mounting tax rate will continue to
rise unless there is some degree of
business methods applied to the af-
fairs of the city.