Evening star., 1924-06-01
PERSONAL PROPERTY
TAX HERE $4,746,234
Levy Made by District Assessors
Exceeds Last Years Figures
by $1S5,922.
REVENUE TOTAL TO BE HIGH
Will Run Near $50, 900, ,ooo-More
Employees Needed.

The people of Washington are ex-
pccted to pay s4,746,234.S7 in per-
sonal property taxes for the fiscal
year ending June 80. District Asses
sor William p. Richards announced
last night.
This figure, Mr.. Richards said, rep
resents the levy, or the amount OF
taxes due on the assessments made
by his staff 1t will be some time
in July before Collector of Taxes
Towers is able to state how much of
this levy has actually been collected
The levy for the year now draw
it was last year and marks steady
increase in the volume of personal
tax collections.
The period for the payment of
taxes both personal and real estate,
ended yesterday and Collector Towers
estimated last night that between
five and six millions flowed into the
municipal purse during the last two
wceks-the majority of payments be-
ing made in the last half of the
month.
Taxes Total s11.s45.573.39.
Mr. Towers announced that from
July /. 1928. to May - of this year.
total collections from all sources
taxes, automobile licenses and mis-
ccllaneous fees-amounted TO Sll,-
9i5,5I3.39
When the great stacks of bills that
have poured in during the last fort
night are entered on the ledgers the
total will be close to $1S.000,000.
The total amount of revenue raised
by the municipality last year was
Sl9.121.374S1. Mr.. Towers predicted
To- ;.rI, b. I,n- -1re- oil n
on June 50 for the current year the
total sum collected will surely equal
last years figure and may even run
to S20000,000.
More Employees Needed.
The experience of the past year
with the new system of making out a
separate tax bill for each lot and
parcel of land has demonstrated the
need for an increase in the number
of employees in the tax office.
Heretofore if an individual or d
corporation owned a long list of diff
ferent properties one itemized bill
was prepared. Under the new sys-
TEN each piece of property must have
separate bill and be recorded on
the ledgers separately. The change
was made in the interest of accuracy
Of bookkeeping. but no provision was
made by Congress for additional
clerks to cover the increased amount
of work thus created.
BnOkkeepcrs to he Busy.
When the taX-paying period closed
yesterday the vault was filled with
bundles of bills and checks that will
keep the clerical force busy until
June 80 entering on the books.
The personal tax levy of s4.146.-
234.S7 includes tangible property
taxes amounting to s1.16S.325.S3 and
Intangible taxes totaling S1.S99 .00645
The balance represents taxes paid by
public utilities, banks and building
associations.
To show how the personal tax
has grown as a source of revenue.
Mr.. Richards recalled that in 1910
the amount collected was only ST.
10000, or just about one-fifth of
this years estimated collections. In
1917 personal tax collections amount
ed to s1.32O,00O.
The enormous increase between
1917 and 1924 is due largely to the
fact that prior to 1918 the law only
applied to tangible personal property.
In 1918 it was extended to cover in
tangible property, such as stocks and
bonds. The rapid increase in the
use of automobiles also has been
factor in boosting personal property
collections since machines are taxed
as tangible property.
Tax bills that We're not paid dur
ing May will bear penalty of l
per cent in June and j per cent more
for each month they remain unpaid.