1916 Birmingham street tax

The 1916 Birmingham street tax went into effect on August 1, 1916 and required every male inhabitant of the city between the ages of 21 and 45 to pay $5 to the city each calendar year for the support and maintenance of public streets within the city limits. Those choosing not to pay could, instead, work on street maintenance crews for six days. Those shirking payment or service would be fined $5-10 in addition to the tax if convicted. Those residing in Birmingham for less than three months were exempted.

The tax was necessitated by the loss of a 5-mill property tax stream which had been applied to pay off road construction bonds.

References

• "Universal Street Tax in Birmingham" (August 3, 1916) Municipal Journal. Vol. 41, No. 5 pp. 130-1