New Britain herald., 1918-05-25
Torn Topics

to the tax collectors office with this
question: when we pay our taxes in
July, what period of the year does
this pay for? I am about to sell my
property and I want to make an AID
justment with the buyer in regard to
the division of the coming tax"
Strange as it may seem, there is
really no law that covers this point
The assessment is laid in October, the
tax rate is set at the city meeting in
March and the tax is payable in July
of every year The majority of law
yers and real estate men who are con-
tinually working on property deals
say that it covers the period from the
October in which the assessment is
laid until the following October, as it
is an unrecorded lien upon the prop
erty from the time the property Is as
sessed. The property is listed in the
name of the owner of October list and
II it is personal property he is the
man that the city looks to for the tax,
while if it is real estate the tax fol-
lows the property, no matter how
many times 1t changes hands. Many
others claim that the tax coming due
this July pays from April, 1913 to
April, 1919, their argumen being
that the money raised from this col
lection is used for the city's expenses
for this fiscal year. Others who have
had little experience in these matters
think that July to July is the proper
way to figure and that the payment
in July is for the year just completed.
Quite often when a taxpayer has
been given this information he will
say: Don't you think it is about time
that some city official got busy and
Strengthened this matter out so that
we may know positively what we are
paying for?' But all lawyers agree
that nothing can be done to make it
more clear. The city is not vitality in
terested as it looks to the property
for the tax SO it is purely a matter of
bargain between the buyer and seller
as to what each shall pay
Few people realize the power that is
given the tax collector so that he may
force the payment Of a tax. The war
rant that is signed by the mayor and
annexed to the rate book reads as fol-
lows:
ITO the Collector Of Taxes of the City
of New Britain, Greeting:
''By authority Of the state of Con-
necticut, you are hereby commanded
forthwith to collect of each person
named in the annexed list, his proper
ton of the same. as therein stated,
being a tax laid by the City of New
Britain =, for the follow
ing purposes to wit:
IA tax of 16 1-2 mills on the in
habitants and property within the
limits of the first taxing district Of said
city, and a tax of mills on the in
habitants and property within the
second taxing district Of said city, to
defray the burdens and expenses of
said city for the current year.
IF any person fails to pay his pro-
portion Of said tax on demand, you are
to levy upon his goods and chattels
and dispose of the same as the law
directs, and after satisfying said tax
and the lawful charges, return the
surplus, if any, to him; and if such
goods and chattels do not come to
your knowledge, you are to levy upon
his real estate and sell enough there
Of to pay his tax and the cost of levy,
and give to the purchaser a deed
thereof: or take the body Of said per-
son, and him commit unto the keeper
Of the jail Of said county, within the
prison. who is hereby commanded to
receive and safely keep him until he
shall pay said sum, together with your
fees, or be discharged in due course of
law"
While to the average citizen this
continual controversy as to the pay
ment period of taxes seems unin-
portant, real estate men tell us that
countless deals have fallen through
simply because the contracting parties
could not agree upon date.
w. S. ST.
Would you give an extra dollar to
save life? Think this over serious
ly and as you think just remember
your boy or your friend who may at
this moment be lying wounded in No
give to the Red Cross and If you feel
you can give more, do so.
w. s. S.
Just IS years ago this week the
Herald printed the following items:
May 80: Farmers on Shuttle
Meadow Mountain and in Kensington
and Berlin expect a record crop Of
peaches this year. The Northend
and Rockwell schools are filled and
another school is needed at once in
the southwestern section. A. L.
Thompson became a Mystic Shriner
at the meeting in Bridgeport yester-
day
May 20: One Of the employees of
the Russell & Erwin factory is taxi
ing orders for coal to be delivered in
August at SIS per ton. undelivered, !
and many are giving him their orders
George P. Cooley and Augustus P.
Collins have sold property at the cor
ner Of Beaver and Lafayette streets
to the Y. M. T. A. & B. society A
total of 455 dogs have been registered
thus far this season.
May 81: Sunday.
May %: The Jonathan Hart prop |
erty in Kensington was totally de- |
o+rovod NV fro Saturday ,,iobt cous