San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-11
TAX RATE MAY
Be SLICED # .
. |NTEREST.LE5s
Retirement Of City Bonds
May Enable Rate I'm
der S2.25.
URGES SUITS ON TAXES
Pfeiffer Says City Must Not
Compromise With
Delinquents.

That San Antonio's tax rate this year
may be a few cents below the MAXIMUM
limit of S2.25 was intimated by Com
missioner of Taxation John T. Pfeiffer
Saturday night. There is a possibility
he admitted. that it may not require the
full limit of IS cents for the interest
and sinking fund and il such is the
case the maximum of 81 60 for city pur-
poses may not be levied. Every cent of
the $1.25 levy for general purposes,
however, the commissioner Of taxation
said, must be used in order to meet the
expenditures in the present budget.
Commissioner Pfeiffer week ago, adj
mitted that in all probability the rate
this year would be Mt the maximum of
S2.25. This was when the Sap Anto
MO school board announced that it
would require levy of 60 cents to
meet its maintenance and interest re-
quirements. At that time Commissioner
Pfeiffer expressed the opinion that the
city would require its S1.25 for gen
eral purposes, two cents for the Car
negie Library fund and perhaps the
full 3S cents for interest and sinking
fund.
Saving Would Be on Interest.
Since this announcement, however,
the tax commissioner has been working
on the interest and sinking fund prop
Osition and intimated that it may be
possible to shave a few cents off of this
levy. If this is done, it would be by
virtue of the fact that some of the
serial bonds have been called in, which
automatically would reduce the amount
required to be levied for the interest
and sinking fund. There may be a
slight increase in some ON the improve
ment district levies, Commissioner
Pfciffer said. but no material increase
is contemplated. The improvement dis
trict tax is distinct from other city
taxes and ranges from a minimum Of
one cent to maximum Of 20 cents.
Commissioner Pfeiffer Saturday took
COgnizance of statements purportinS 10
emanate from the city executive depart
mcnt that the mayor and city attorneys
department expected to raise additional
funds by the collection of rhouaEGs
Of dollars in back taxes. The suggcs-
tons had been made, the tax commits
| Sioner said, that it might even be posi-
| bic TO raise sufficient money by this
| medium to reinstate many of the Incn
Commissioner Rieden was forced to dis
charge after he had exhausted his
| budget allowance.
Opposes Any Compromise.
at appears to me-" Commissioner
| Pfeiffer said, that the mayor and his
| legal department are seeking to bring
! about wholesale compromises Of tax
suits. This on its face is ridiculous. OF
course We could go ahead and COM
promise many suits, allowing dclin-
quents to pay only the flat tax and
waive the penalty. If We did this,
however, the city would lose thousands
of dollars. l certainly do not intend
to penalize the taxpayers of the city
who have been prompt in the payment
of their taxes and allow delinquents to
profit by it by allowing them to pay only
the taxes due and remit the penalties.
That is what the city attorneys de-
partment is for, to prosecute these
| suits
Commissioner Pfeiffer cited an in.
stance where one of the assistant city
attorneys at the council meeting Thurs
day recommended n compromise in n
| tax suit. 1t involved n sum of approx
mately S1400. Previous attempts had
been made to compromise this suit. the
| tax commissioner said but he had re-
fused standing on the ground that the
courts have ruled that a tax lien has
! prior right and that the city was in a
position to demand. full payment. He
also pointed out that the charter re-
Quires the mayor and commissioners to
enforce the penalty provision whenever
| taxes become delinquent. Commissioner
Pfeiffer's opposition to this compromise
| caused the matter to be held up when
it came before the commission Thurs
| day.
Suggests Attorneys Get Busy.
Another reason cited by the tax
commissioner against such compromise
is the fact that his office is making
good progress in the collection OF back
taxes. Through the sending out of no.
tees and threats to file suits. he said.
h. has been able to collect thousands
of dollars N back taxes and bring the
delinquencies down to rather recent
date. He feels sure that through the