The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-08
AMOUNT OF TAXES.
FOR CORPORATIONS.
TO Be DETERMINED
Representatives Of Large Cor
porations, State Chairman
Mooring and Board of
AdjuSterS at Hearing

With examination of the books OF
all corporations of the Birmingham
district whose payment of ad valorem
taxes has been held up because of
litigation with the state tax COM
mission except the Woodward Iron
company, completed by the Jefferson
county board of tax adjusters and
John S. Mooring, chairman Of the
state board, actual hearings to de-
termine the amount Of property
taxes due from each corporation af-
fected will begin this morning, ac-
cording to announcement of the board
of adgusters yesterday.
According to members of the board
either the Sloss- Sheffield Steel and
Iron company or the Republic Iron
and Steel company will be the first
of the corporations involved whose
taxes will be considered. Approx
mately $26.o0o,oo0 worth OF property
taxes is involved from the concerns
for whom hearings Will be held.
Taxes Fixed BY Board
Representatives of the companies
involved will be given an opportunity
at the hearings to show cause why
taxes fixed by the board of tax ad-
justers and the state tax commission
should be reduced and 1t is expected
that an adjustment of the differences
hnf 40 uta and county pffi-
cials and the corporations will result
from the hearings, enabling payment
of the taxes due by them without fur
Their delay.
However, according to members of
the board, several weeks will prob
ably be required to complete all of
the hearings and the matters In dis
pute are not expected to be finally
disposed of and payment of the taxes
completed before January 10 or s OF
the coming year.
Several days are expected to be con-
sumed in the hearings of each cor
poration and hearing of one corpora
tion will be followed as rapidly as
possible by hearings for another until
all are compile ted
Initial Hearing
John S. Mooring, chairman of the
state tax commission who came to
Birmingham several days ago for
conferences with the board of tax ad
justers relative TO the corporation tax
matters returned last night from Jas
per where he has been on similar
business in walker county and VIII
be present at the initial hearing to
be held today.
Concerns for which hearings will
be held relative to the amount in
taxes due them include the Gulf States
Steel company, the Sloss- Sheffield
Steel and Iron company, the Republic
steel and Iron company the Wood
ward Iron company and others.
Matters preliminary TO the actual
hearings scheduled to begin this
morning, including examination of
the books and records OF the concerns
involved in order to determine the
amount of taxes due by them have
been gone into by the board during
the past 10 days in preparation for
the actual hearings.
Final Settlement
Final settlement of the differences
between the state officials and the
companies involved is expected to
make available to the county several
hundred thousand dollars due in taxes
from the corporations involved. Pay
intnt OF ineSt idAtS IL expected TO
result In substantial relief of the
financial condition of the county,
which has been crippled on account
of non-payment of these taxes.
Holding up OF payment of the taxes
by the corporations resulted from set
ting aside of the original assessments
made by the board of tax adjusters
several months ago OF the 1920 taxes
by the state tax commission on the
grounds that such assessment figures
were too low.
Following refusal of the corpora
tions to permit examination of their
books and records on demand of the
state tax commission the latter in
stltuted litigation seeking to compel
examination. After several months
litigation In the courts the supreme
court decided that such examination
should be permitted and the examIna-
ton just completed was in accordance
with that opinion of the court.