The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-04
INCREASED TAXES IMP P0SED CHIEFLY TO A|D EDUCAT| |ON
Brooks Says Schools and Not General Work of State Would Suffer by Tax
 Reduction
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU
 THE AGE-HERAL LID ! Noutro1nery Ala March g I

 in taxation is successful the public schools of Alabama will suffer and not the general work of the state government. according to state ment issued today by c. c. Brooks, state examiner of public accounts, who has just completed an exhaus- tive study of the system of taxation of Alabama now in effect in com parison with the taxing methods of the past.
 Examiner Brooks pointed out that practically all of the additional taxes imposed on the people since 1918 have been imposed by vote of the people who are paying the taxes He stated that the great increase has come from the special school taxes which the voters have placed upon themselves at the ballot boxes in order that the states system of pub lie education might be improved.
 MT. Brooks showed that the in crease in assessable values of prop erty between 1918 and 1922 was $243,7S4,152, while state taxes for purposes other than the public schools had increased ss53,244.53 an nually and taxes for the support of the public schools had increased $6,392,449.54. The increase in school taxes as result of increases in property values between 1918 and 1922 was s731, ,352.45, while the voters at the ballot boxes increased their taxes for the support of public edu cation S5661 GQ7 0Q
 Schools Get Increase.
 The statement further pointed out the fact tha: the increase in taxes for general purposes between 1918 and 1922 amounts to 25 cents for each person in the state, while the increase for school purposes amounts to $2.72 for each person.
 In closing his statement, Examiner Brooks asked Are the people com blaming of the increase of 25 cents per person for general purposes or the increase of $2.72 for the public schools? It is hardly conceivable that the people of this state will continue the demand for reduction of tax valuations when it is clearly explained that the great bulk of the increased taxation has been vo1un- tarily imposed on themselves for the benefit of the common schools"
 o O O
 Brooks Comparison.
 Examiner Brooks statement com pairing the increase in taxes for gen. eral purposes with the increase in taxes for public schools says:
 ITO show the importance of the school taxes collected as a result of the increased valuation and the in'- creased tax rate as compared with the state taxes for purposes other than the support of the common schools, I give below 8 statement of such taxes on the increase in prop erty values for the entire state for the year 1922 over such values for the year 1915:
 Value of taxable prop
 erty 1922 S943516.1S2OO Value of taxable prop
 erty, 1918 .......... sss.732.o3o.o .oo Total increase in as-
 sessed values .... .$243,7S4,15200 Increase in state gen.
 eral taxes ......... S60946038 Increase in Confeder-
 ate pension tax..... 243,7S415 Total increase in tax
 es paid the state
 for purposes other
 h a n c o m m 0 n
 schools ........... $s5s,244.53 Special county and dis
 trict school taxes im-
 posed by voting ad-
 ditional school levies $b,661,O97,o9 Increase in state school
 tax as result of in-
 crease in assessed
 property values .... 731,s52.45 Total increase in
 school taxes ...... se,3s2,44s.b4 Tt will be seen from the above that the state is now collecting from the ad valorem taxes only ss53,- 244.63 more for purposes other than the support of the common schools than was collected under the valu- ations for the year 1918, whereas the common schools are receiving $6,392,449.54 more from the same source of revenue than was received in 1918. You will notice that for each $1 of increase in ta&es going to the state general and special soldier funds there was $S increase in the combined state, county and district school taxes. If you consider only the state general tax you will find that for each $1 of increase In state taxes there was an increase of $10.50 in the school funds.
 Approximate Figures.
 "It should be explained that the