The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-12
LISTERS MEETING
Continued from Page one)

/ y
an increase of over FIVE million dol
lars worth of taxable property over
that in the list for the year 1917.
The value of real estate was also in
! creased in the amount of taxable
property rising eight million dollars
in round numbers, over the grand list
for 1916.
There is no provision in the law
requiring the fling of an abstract of
the quadrennial appraisal but the lis
tiers and town clerks of approximately
all of the towns have voluntarily fur
nished an informal abstract covering
their several towns from which /
have been able to estimate that the
value of real estate in the state has
been increased from sven to ten per
i cent. at least.
In 1908, when the supervision of
the administration of the general tax
! law was taken over by the
Commissioner of Taxes the grand
list of the State totaled two mil
lion, twenty-three thousand and nine
teen dollars. The grand list for
1919 should be at least two mil
lion, eight hundred forty dollars, an
increase of some eight hundred
seventeen thousand dollars in the
grand list which represents the adj
dition of at least eighty-one million
dollars worth of taxable property to
/ the list.
i 1t is true that new property has
come into existence but the largest
share Of the increase in the total val
uation is the result of the endeavors
of the listers to put the property in
to the list according to law.
States Revenue.
You may be interested to know
that the revenue of the state derived
from corporate and inheritance tax
alton during the last biennial period
increased two hundred sixty-eight
thousand, eight hundred six dollars
over the preceding period. The rev.
enue derived from corporate and in
heritance taxation for the period end
ing June 30, 1908 was one million,
six hundred ninety-seven thousand,
eight hundred eighty-six dollars, in
round numbers. For the period end
ing June 80, 1918 the revenue de-
rived from corporate and inheritance
taxation was $685. 1862, in round
numbers. An increase of one million
eight hundred seventy-seven thou
sand, three hundred seventy-six dol
lars, or one hundred ten per cent in
the ten years.
Since the Commissioner of Taxes
assumed the administration of the
General tax law the valuation of real
estate in the State of Vermont has
increased over thirty million dollars,
or, from one hundred forty-three mil
lion dollars in 1910 to one hundred
seventy-three million dollars in 1918,
Ind I am firmly convinced that the
centralized supervision of the work of
he listers coincident with a better
understanding of the law and their
duties Hereunder, and their hearty
cooperation are in large measure
responsible for the appearance of this
books of this state.
comparative statement.
1t cost the State of Vermont TWEEN
ty-six thousand dollars, in round num-
bers, for the last biennial period to
run the tax department. Assuming
that the expenses of administering
the general tax law, partnership re-
gistrations, peddler's licenses, auc-
tioneer's licenses, fourth class liquor
licenses, appraisal of railroads and
telephones, ETC., represents nearer
sixty-per cent. than thirty-th
one-third per cent. of the total ex-
pense of the department, but deduct
/ ing one-third or eight thousand, six
hundred sixty-six dollars FROM +wen-
ty-six thousand dollars, (the expense
of running the department for the
biennial period ending June 80, 1919,
gives us seventeen thousand, three
/ hundred thirty-four dollars as the ex-
pense for the biennial incurred in thu
collection of three million, five humid
red seventy-fve thousand, two hun
bred sixty-two dollars of corporation
and collateral inheritance tax reve-
nue., (not including partnership re-
gistration fees, peddler's licenses,
auctioneer's licenses, etc., which
might be included in the lump sum of
at least five thousand dollars,) and it
figures out that it has cost the State
less than five mills per dollar 70 have
collected its total revenue from cor
poration and inheritance taxation
! sources. But as I said before these
! figures are not fair to the Tax De-
partment since the cost of admins
~l.iur the general tax law and per-
forming the other duties inposed up
on the department is at least fifty per
| cent. of the total cost. state
nnent of the expense of collecting the
corporate and inheritance tax reve-
nue. shows an overhead collection
charge of approximately three and
one-half mills per dollars, a situation
of which no Vermonter has any rea-
son to be ashamed and collection
charge which challenges comparison.