The Herald Of The Twin Cities, Roanoke Rapids, Rosemary

New Tax Collecting System For County Is Adopted

A complete change in the tax-paying system of Halifax County has been authorized by the County Board of Commissioners and future taxes will be collected in a new manner.

The new system includes a chief deputy tax collector with offices at the county courthouse, four resident tax collectors or deputy sheriffs instead of eight, all books to be kept at Halifax, all real estate taxes to be paid at Halifax, poll and personal taxes to be paid to the resident deputies, a weekly settlement on the part of the deputies to be made with the chief deputy at Halifax.

The County Board of Commissioners had decided on this new procedure of collecting county taxes for reasons of economy and efficiency. In the interest of economy, they point to the reduction of deputy sheriffs in number from the present eight to five, a saving of three men. So far as efficiency is concerned, they feel after due investigation and study of procedure in other counties that the weekly settlement in cash, the fact that only one man, the chief deputy, will handle and be responsible for the books, and the payment of large amounts from real estate taxes direct to the Halifax office, will tend to greater efficiency in not only collection but in the matter of penalties and sale of property for taxes with less chance of shortage or mistakes due to carelessness or inefficiency.

Roanoke Rapids and Weldon townships will be combined for collection of poll and personal property taxes and G. F. Gray, who recently resigned as Chief of Police and city tax collector of Roanoke Rapids, has been appointed by Sheriff Johnson to handle the collection of those taxes in the two townships. As pointed out above, the real estate taxes will, in the future, be paid directly to the office at Halifax.

Paul Speed of Scotland Neck was appointed chief deputy collector by Sheriff Johnson and he will be located at Halifax. His office will mail to every real estate owner a notice of real estate taxes, when due, amount and date when penalties begin. Real estate owners will then send their taxes by mail or take them to the Halifax office of Mr. Speed. Of course, their personal and poll taxes will be included.

For this township, Mr. Gray will act as deputy sheriff and will collect only poll and personal property taxes. There will be no exception to the rule, according to the Board of Commissioners.

All books will be kept in Mr. Speed's office and deputy sheriffs will give temporary receipts when collecting poll and personal property taxes. These will be followed by the regular receipts when settlement is made each week. This weekly settlement is another thing which the Board says it will insist on. They claim that spasmodic settlements in the past have but led to mistakes and confusion which they wish to eliminate.

Owners of real estate will not be dealt with as lightly, they say, under the new method. In the past, it has been possible to put off the local collector with hard luck tales or checks none too good, and the collectors, being good fellows and hating to get their neighbors in wrong have been the "goats" in several instances. The future will see Uncle Sam acting as collector and penalties and sales forthcoming at the designated times.

They have even become hardboiled with their new collectors and will take no checks from them in weekly settlement except cashiers checks or the cold cash.

G. F. Gray will be collector and deputy sheriff for Roanoke Rapids and Weldon townships; R. G. Newsome will hold those offices for Litteton, Butterwood and Faucetts; have Enfield, Brinkleyville and Halifax townships; deputy sheriff Branch will have Halifax; deputy sheriff Perry will have Scotland Neck, Conconnara and Palmyra townships.