Hall v. Trustees of Harrodsburg
Hall v. Trustees of Harrodsburg
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The sixth section of the act incorporating the Southwestern Railroad Co. provided “That all persons, companies, and corporations who subscribe for stock in said company, and who reside at the time of their subscription in any town, city, county, precinct, or other territorial district, which may thereafter subscribe and tax itself, or which has theretofore subscribed and taxed itself by virtue of the provisions of this charter, in aid of said road, shall, upon all tax assessed against such subscriber, be credited by the amount he has subscribed to the extent he has paid his individual subscription, which shall be done by the president drawing an order to the tax collector directing a delivery of the tax receipt; for which orders, so drawn, said collector shall receive credit, but not commission, when taken in by him from such subscriber, but from no one else: Provided, however, that said orders shall not be received in payment of any one’s tax except the person actually making the subscription.” 1 Acts 1876, ch. 171. This contemplated road was to begin at some point on the Cincinnati Southern road and connect with the Louisville & Nashville road near Lebanon. The road was constructed as far as the town of Harrodsburg and is now in operation from that town to the Cincinnati Southern.
A vote was had under the provisions of the charter by the qualified voters of Harrodsburg and the sum of $20,000 taken by the town as
The inequality in the mode of taxation or its payment that appellants complain of was intended to be avoided by the very section that it is now contended produces it. Some of the citizens of the town had subscribed and others were willing to subscribe a much larger sum than these individual taxes amounted to under the provisions of the charter; and the citizen being unwilling to pay his subscription and also the tax imposed upon him, in order to equalize the burden was credited on the tax bill, with any amount he paid on the subscription, and in this manner that which was equivalent to a double taxation was avoided. This was an enterprise benefiting the particular locality in which the vote was taken. It was a common burden that all must assume in proportion to the taxable property owned by each voter, and the taxation imposed not being sufficient to build the road many of the citizens were willing to subscribe more (and some of the subscriptions had already been made) than the amount of their taxes in order that this common enterprise might prove a success. The vote was almost unanimous, and the road placed in running order from Harrodsburg to the Cincinnati Southern. Taxes had been collected and paid for nearly two years, and some of those who are now enjoying the benefits are not disposed to share the burden. All the taxpayers are entitled to certificates of stock for the amount of taxes paid, but as an evidence of inequality it is urged that some of the taxpayers may not be entitled to as much
The judgment below is therefore affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.