New Britain herald., 1930-11-26
Payment of Taxes Every 6 Months Would Increase Collection Cost
 S3,000 Annually, Hinder Claims

shifting from one-installment to tWo-installment tax. in order to as- certain whether such added con- Venienca is not more than offset by disadvantages to the municipality and it's collection agency" May 15, sept. l5, Tentative Dates In some of the municipalities where the tWo-installmcnt system is operative, only three months are all lowed between payments, while oth CTS allow five and six months, the statement showed. The committee set the dates tentatively at May l5 and Sept. b for the purpose Of giv ing Mr. Linder. MT. Loomis and Mr. Judd something OH which to base their reports. If the change is made 1t will be necessary 10 advance the dates on which the abstract is com piled by the assessors. also the rate book and the time for the board of relief sessions. Relative to roqur- inc that payments of less than stated amount in taxes be made in one lnstallmcnt, there was some doubt in the minds Of committee members as to the right Of the com- mon council to discriminate with out special authority being given by the legislature. and this feature will ba investigated.
 MT Lindcr said there would be m expense Of approximately $40U for changing over the books 10 provide extra columns for entering the two installmcnt charges and payments, and extra clerical help in the asses sors office. Mr. Loomis said he would need additional clerical assist ance equal to one clerk all year, the probable system to consist of the employment of two or three clerks at once during billing time Postage costs approximately $500 a year in plan would add greatly to this item.
 MT. Judd mentioned that there would be an expense to the city through the necessity of borrowing money twice q year instead of once and q loss through lesser amount of interest chargcable on unpaid taxes because the total amount Of taxes remaining unpaid would na- turalIy be less if only onc-h half be- comes due twice q year instead Of the whole amount subject 10 inter est charges after 30 days. Further, the city would receive less interest on its bank balance than it receives under the present system, because the balance would be smaller than 1t now is.
 Summing the matter up. MT Judd concluded that the principal bene- fit 10 be derived from the tWo-in- stallmcnt would be in the form ot q greater convenience 10 the taXpay- CTS and as he viewed it, the tax payers should have the convenience if they arc willing 10 stand the extra expense He quoted Tax Commis- sioner Blodgett as of the same atti- tude.
 IayorS Referendum Councilman Gibney suggested that the voters of the city be given the opportunity of expressing their stard on the matter at the election next April inasmuch as the public would benefit and would also pay the cost of the proposed plan. ne believed q referendum might well be held on it.
 One other dvantage seen by he committee in the proposed plan w4s that many owners of personal pro- perty might be induced to pay their taxes if payments became due car Her in the year than at present, A number of those liable for taxes at the time the lists are made Up leave the city without making payment, but they might be within reach ln- der an carller payment date ar engagement.