The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-02
s4,84O,478 IN
 TAXES PAID UP. PAST 90 DAYS.
Total of 29,148 Receipts Issued in Jefferson County. Poll Taxes Show IT Per Cent Decrease
 From 1921

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 Approximately $5,0O0,0O0 in taxes were collected in Jefferson county from October l, 1922, to January 1, 1923, according to an announcement Monday night by James F. Hawkins, tax collector. The exact amount of taxes collected in the Birmingham office totals $4,840,478, an increase of $780, 362 over the S4,360,116 collected during the same period in 1921. The collections in the Bessemer of flee have not been totaled yet, MT. Hawkins said.
 A greater number of taxpayers have paid taxes during 1922 than during 1921, but the amount of money collected will be less, MT. Hawkins declared. This is due to the fact that the tax rate is lower, he said.
 A comparison with last year shows that l 1,495 more receipts were issued by the Birmingham office from October 1 to January l this year than were issued last year. During this period of 1922 there were issued 29,14S tax receipts. The corresponding period of the preceding year saw 27,653 receipts issued.
 Millions in 15 Days
 Total tax collections during the las. 15 days of 1922, the period during which settlement with the state IS made, totaied ss,s59.S4l. an increase of s1,Oss,3so over the same period aIt 1921 when s2,920.51t were collected
 Tax collections for the. last day of 1929 totaled s$1,6S5,175 as opposed to the last day of 1921, when sl,1SS.. 3S2 were collected. This is a gain of S547,793
 MT. Hawkins said he regretted ver,- much that the impression had gotten abroad that the tax collectors office would be open Sunday, December 31. He declared he had given out many
 
 the office force would be working behind closed doors that day to take care of tine mail that came in. MT Hawkins stated many people tried to gain admittance 10 the office to pay their taxes Sunday but that he con sdered it unwise to admit them when he had books, papers, reports and money all over the office. All re- ceipts for taxes paid by mail have been put in the mails and will reach the tax payers in due time. he stated
 Decrease in Poll Tax
 MT. Hawkins said that aside from the property tax collected a com ps rison of the poll tax figures showed a 17 per cent shortage when com pared with that of last year Poll tax paid to January l. 1923, was 5404, a loss of 1.062 when compared with such tax paid last year, when 6,466 persons paid this tax by Jan uary 1. This tax must be paid by February l, Mir. Hawkins stated
 The tax collector announced that a 50 cents fee and interest at the rate of s per cent would be charged on all property tax paid between now and March II After March l, he said the delinquent accounts would be turned over to the probate judge for citation ana that all general costs would be added to the tax.
 The collectors office will take steps immediately to levy on all per sonal property for the payment of taxes. MT. Hawkins said. This is re- quired under the law, he added
 MT. Hawkins paid tribute to those in the tax collectors office for the efficient way in which the collec- tion of taxes was handled during 1922. This is the second year the card system has been used in collect ing taxes here and it worked exceed ingly well, he declared