White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1872-01-25
PersenaI Preper,v T.x.,,...

mah properly Taxation.
The great difficulty which Legislators meet with
the g. Louis Repx5lioaa, is that of reaching per
sonai property. Real cstafe, consisting of lands
and buildings, cannot be concealed and therefore
cannot escape its just share Of the general bur-
Gen. Neither can snch cumbrous and bulky per-
sonal property rs machinery, merchandise, live
stock, furniture and inplements, though the
assessment Of some Of fhesc articles such as fnrn-
ituro and merchandise, Iaust be either estimated
or involve annoying domiciliary visits. Butthere
10 species Of personal property which accumu-
lates as country grows old and rich, and which
clusters around centres of trade and refinement,
that cannot be 81 easily found. This wealth con-
sists of money, jevelry, bonds, stocks and mort
cages. The disposition to secrete this species of
wealth 10 AVOID paying taxes on it, is not con-
fined to any particular locality; it is universal
habit. OF the 81 So, ,907 Of assessed wealth
returned in the State of New York for the year
ls69, ,z7O,l7e was personal property; and yet
the tax-eomnlssion appointed by the governor of
that state to investigate and report on this sub
1ect fonnd that the railway property alone amoun-
ted to SO. 2.592s0 and that Of banks to Sl74,-
eSS,Io6 making together $477 ,5565s7. Thus the
actual value of the personality represented by
these two corporations exceeds by than
LOFTY millions the total personal property in the
State returned for taxation. If to the wealth
invested in banks and railroads were added that
invested in insurance, trade, manufactures, live
stock, vehicles furniture, plate and other articles
Of comfort and luxury, the amount would be
more than doubled; in other words the personal
list returned for taxation instead of being about
434 millions, would he something like loo mil
lions.
The plan proposed by the New York tax COM
mission for reaching this large proportion of per-
sonal property which, therefore constantly eyades
taxation, is one which does not leave tb. retnrn
to the owners Of the property, but requires the
assessors to make an estimated return for each
person. The scheme is embraced in three deyi-
siOns:
1. 1t provides for the taxation of all corpora
tions which are in the nature of a nonopoly.
This class includes gas companies. railroads.
banks, and private bankers doing business in
competition with them; ferries bridges and toll
roads. Manufacturing firms and CORPORATIONS are
not included in the list they not being considered
monopolies. The surplus of savings banks only
would he taxed under this system and fire mar
inc and life insurance companies would be taxed
lightly in proportion to their capital
Z. The second division proposes a tax on land
exclusive of the buildings upon II. the tax to i've
upon one-half of its fair marketable value. and a
tax on the buildings at one-half their fair mar
ketabe value. This would give the real estate
tax.
s. The third division of the plan assumes that
the house a man lives in or doe, business in il a
fair representative orindex of his personal wealth.
and taxes him on one half of it's Valuation. This
is the personality tax. II is not n direct tax on
the actual personal propertv that n man owns.
but rather a tax on the estimated amount which
from his style of living he is il presum.d m own
Of course this estimate would often n. incorract
and unjust, for a man of wealth may live in an
house. and a man of mnch show
and little substance NAV live i'm a fine mans;on.
but it is assumed that the ministries of this woui
not be as great as those under the present prac-
tice, which leaves full half of the personal nro
perty unreturned, and therefore untaxed A a
general rule men do live in bons.s adantcd TO |
their means. and under the nronosed svrte,n a |
a.:
general. A few wealthy p,rsons might live in |