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NEW YORKS RACING TAX. Charles W. Anderson, State Supervisor of Racing Accounts, has issued his annual report, and it has been filed in the office of the Comptroller. It is of great interest to the racing public, for it shows that the State this year received 00,741.67 as a 5 per cent, tax levied on the gross receipts of -eight tracks licensed by the State Racing Commission, says the Sun of Thursday. The report demonstrates that the season of 1903 was the most successful since the appointment of the commission, as 0,655.79 was taken in over the tax of 1902. During the year eight racing associations received licenses from the commission and the number of days raced by each association and the tax paid were as follows: Name. Racing Days. Tax. Coney Island Jockey Club... 30 5,156.44 Brooklyn Jockey Club 30 39,527.35 Westchester Racing Assn..30 31,156.56 Brighton Beach Racg Assn.28 27,967.40 Saratoga Association 22 21,982.47 Metropolitan Jockey Club... 22 17,763.53 Queens County Jockey Club. 21 14,145.04 Buffalo Racing Association. .19 3,042.88 00,741.67 Competitive dates The report says: This 00,741.67 constitutes a fund which, under the direction of the -Legislature and the provisions of the Agricultural law is distributed annually in behalf of the State for prizes for improving the breed of cattle, sheep and horses, at the various fairs throughout the State. Such distribution is made proportionally to the premiums offered at such fairs for agricultural, mechanical and domestic products, exclusive of the premiums paid for trials or tests of speed, skill or endurance of man or beast. Thus, it will be seen, thoroughbred racing as now conducted in this State not only necessarily calls for the highest development of the thoroughbred itself, but a most substantial percentage of the gross receipts derived from racing goes to the betterment of the breed of cattle throughout the whole State. This tax, it is further provided, shall not be used for racing at the fairs, and associations entitled to be beneficiaries must for three years prior have annually paid out in premiums not less than ,000 over and above the premiums appropriated for such incidentals to fairs as trotting races and trials of skill. Thus the gross receipts for the year were ,000,000, and that is the amount the public of New York paid to see racing this year. The report continues: As showing the tremendous growth of the popularity of the sport and of the public confidence in its management, it is interesting to point out that the increase of the tax of 1903 over that of 1902 0,655.79 is larger than was the total tax paid by all the racing associations for the year 1895, the first year in which the State Racing Commission assumed the direction and government of the turf under the law creating it. Every year since the running turf of the State has been under the direction of August Belmont, E. D. Morgan and John Sanford, the revenue to the agricultural societies has grown in such amazing measure that a recapitulation is interesting: Tear. Tax. 1895 7,220.74 1896 . 50,608.10 1897 64,034.64 1898 80,483.85 1899 . 90.791.74 1900 98,671.53 lfOl 128.581.50 1902 170,085.88 1903 200,741.67 Total 11,219.65
