OCR Text |
Show TAXING CHURCH PROPERTY. The present value of all the church ! property in this city is about J 13, 000,-' 000,-' UUO something more tiian it is put down in tho last census. Tho tax basis is sixty per cent of estimated ; actual value, consequently the taxable valuo is about $'20, 500,000. The tax rate this year is 2.04. You can now see tor yourself that if this properly was taxed like all other, the yield I would be about iSdO.OOO. Dr. Hall's ; church cost $S5,0(J0. If we had a . law taxing church property, Dr. ( Hall's congregation would have lo pay i into the city treasury every year about i $15,000 So.OUO" more than its pastor's f salary. The stately new St. Patrick's i cathedral, near by, will have cost, i when completed, fully $2,500,000. : Applying tlie same rule to this mag-I mag-I nificeut structure, the annual tax would be close on $ 1-1,000. The Jew- J : ish temple Emanuel, also on Filth avenue, is valued at $500,000. It 1 would have to pay the tax-gatherer $3,SuO. Dr. Hepworlh'a church now struggling hard lo keep out of bankruptcy, bank-ruptcy, would be required to band over $3,174. Many of the small churches, with small incomes and no rich members, would probably have to " shut up. 'Ihe tax on tho various denominations de-nominations would run about thus: Episcopal, $200,000; Roman Catholic, $1-10,000; Presbyterian, $125,000; Dutch Reformed, $110,00,); Methodist, $S0,(MH); Hebrew, $70, (),:(; Baptist, $00,1 hJl); Congregational, $2O,0); Univcrsalist, $15,000. Of course these figures are only approximile, but they indicate pretty closely how a tax on church property would go. The whole amount that mieh a tax won it I yield would be about one-forli-th ol the sum annually raised. Hartford Timet. |