New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1921-06-29
SCHOOLS RECEIVE
MOST FROM TAXES
cOUNTY'S SHARE rs Is PER
CENT AND STATE GETS
NINE PER CENT.
CITY OF NEW ULM RECEIVES
So PER CENT OF TAXES
COLLECTED HERE.

"A trife more than 81 per cent OF the
taxes collected in New Ulm this year,
being the 1920 tax levy, were raised
for local school purposes. This IN
cludes the one-mill school tax, the
special school tax of 1876 mills and the
tax of 5.5 mills to pay principal and
interest on state loans for school build
ing funds. This makes a total of
exactly % mills for school purposes,
while the tax rate for all purposes was
81 mills.
City Next in Line.
The taxes collected to meet the
expenses connected with the admins
tration and maintenance of the various
city institutions and departments of
New Ulm aggregated little less than
So per cent of the total taxes collected
here for all purposes, so that about
70 per cent of these total taxes are
turned over to the city treasurer and
to the treasurer of this school district.
.
County State Get Balance.
The balance of the total tax money
collected in this city goes to the
county and state, the former receiving
a trifle more than Is per cent of the
whole, while little less than nine
per cent, representing the remainder,
is turned over to the state. Of this
remainder, the state retains about 81
per cent, while 2.3 per cent is returned
to the local school district in the form
of state aid.
Many Complaints Heard.
Ever since taxes have mounted
skyward with an alarming rapidlty,
many complaints are voiced every
year that tax money is spent fooishly;
that greater economy could and should
be practiced, and that the taxpayers
have no particular local benefit from
the taxes. A careful investigation of
the facts in the matter, however, will
convince the average tax payer that
by far the greatest share OF the tax
money remains in the community, or
is paid for community improvements
and other benefits, so that In order to
effect greater economy in the expen-
diture of public funds, for the purpose
Of reducing the high taxes, we must
look to our own city, village or town
ship administration, and not criticise
the state and county authorities too
severely.
How Money is Spent.
The fact that it is not generally
known by the taxpayers how the
money paid in as taxes is spent, no
doubt, is responsible for much of the
complaint and criticism voiced, and
in order to clear this matter up as
much as possible, we have requested
County Treasurer Henry J. Berg to
furnish us the necessary facts and
figures to base an explanation on.
We asked him to pick at random from
his tax books two cases to be used as
Illustrations one of which pertains
to city property in Independent School
District No. l of New Ulm, and the
other to farm located In School
District No. 8, Milford township.
These are average cases, although the
tax rates may vary somewhat COM
pared to those in other cities, villages
and townships.
The New Ulm Case.
The New Ulm property selected fo1
the purpose Of this comparison has
a taxable value of $2,260 and the total
taxes paid thereon by the owner this
year, based on the 1920 tax levy, ag-
gregated $l4012.. The tax rate was
62 mills.
Dividing the tax rate and the tota]
taxes paid on this particular property
this year to determine how the tax
money was disbursed, we find that Of
the total of $14O.12 the state received
only $12.25 and $25.49 went into the
county treasury, while the local schoo
OlSCrlcU SudIc was po4.00 cAu .tAS~ClCS
got 5000. The tax rates were as
follows: State, 5.42 mills; county
1923 mills; school district, % mills
and city, 22.3 mills. The state re
tains only 1896 of the taxes paid il
this case, returning to the county ane
city, directly or indirectly, the balance
of $3.50. A small portion Of the take
received by the county from the cit.
is also returned.
Detailed Tax Figures.
The division made Of the $140.1.
taxes paid in the instance cited above
together with the individual tax rate
lin mins) upon which this division j
based, are as follows:
Rate Tax
State Revenue ------ 4.14 $9.3
State School 1.23 2.7
Aaa koentiausd on p.ge - s