The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1873-08-14
THAT FIFTY PER CENT. PEN
Atty"
Under the above heading tie Law
renee Journal SAYS:

Under the above heading the Law
renee journal SAYS:
The subject of what is called the
fifty per cent. penalty on unpaid
taxes is, as usual, receiving some at
tention from the press. We have OBJ
served considerable denunciation of
the supposed law which evidently
proceeds from want of information
upon the subject. Let US state. brief
ly, what the provisions of the law are.
Taxes are due and payable in this
State on The first day of November of
every year. This is matter of public
notoriety, and every tax payer is sup
posed to understand that at that time
his taxes are due. In addition, a pub
lie notification is given every year by
the county treasurer Of the same
fact. 1t after this public notification,
a man neglects or refuses to pay his
taxes for the space of two months
and ten days, or until after the 10th
day Of January, then a penalty Of 10
per cent. is added. If not paid by the
lst Of March following, then further
expense Of p cents a tract and 10
cents town lot is incurred for adver-
by the first Tuesday in May, the land
or sufficient part of it is sold for the
taxes and charges, and the party who
steps in and advances the money to
the state is entitled, if the land is re-
deemed during the next TWO years, to
receive his money back with fifty per
cent. interest.
1t will thus be seen that the state. |
after the fullest and widest notifica- |
ton that taxes are due, waits two |
months and ten days before any penal |
whatever is added. After waiting
four months and no payment, the ex-
penses of advertising for sale are add !
ed. After waiting more than five
months without payment, the state
then says to any party who will step
III and advance the money, you shall
have the property, or, in case of re-
demption, fifty per cent for the use Of
your money.
This is all there is of the law. And
we may add that it was adopted in
this state after other methods had
been tried and found entirely lnefli-
cicnt in securing the payment of sutfi-
cient taxes to run the government.
The yearly deficiency kept crawling
up until the state had out over 1928, 900
of floating scrip unpaid. The state
credit was debased. Whoever did a
job for the state was obliged to add
the discount on scrip to his bill, or
sustain the loss himself. Inceased lev
les of taxes became necessary TO try
and make up the yearly deficiency.
The same state of things existed in
the county and local municipalities.
A deficiency year after year, with in
creased levies and higher taxes to the
faithful citizens who did pay every
thing done Oh scrip basis, and scrip
down to 40 cents on the
dollar.
At last it became evident that j
must be done to enable
the state TO realize a larger sum OH
its taxes, OF Insolvency was the alter
native. The law was modified SO as
to give to the purchasers of lands /
sold for taxes so per cent interest.
and the first year it carried S35 200 ]
INTO the state treasury, and a still
larger sum into the county treasures.
Scrip rose to par in all the well-man I
aged counties, and things were put
upon cash basis. /
Thus far the attempt to 90 back to
he old order OF things, though made
every year, has been resisted by those !
who are interested in maintaining the
.olvency and credit of the state and its I
organizations. We have a
light to ask of those who rail at the
present law what they propose in its |
stead? How will they collect taxes
"a; To, hn JI,x, | 7
will they avoid deficiencies And how
lvoid an increase of taxation to meet
hese deficiencies? In tie language of i
very able and trenchant article in the
Wichita EAGLE. whose editor has 7
tudicd this subject from the stand
,ont of practical legislator familiar
With our past experience, we may ask: =
Are taxes necessary at all TO the
of government If so. and T
hey are not paid promptly, what is
he consequence upon the credit Of our
tate! Where taxes are MOI mar paid
'rOmpt paving man? Is the credit >,
ystem and overdue notes any better
'asis for state. county, Il school T
district or township TO do business
lpon than an individual or firm:
When and where do the coupons on u
ur state, county and school district r.
'onds fall due, and is it necessary to
meet such obligations ? I'm
ne. is there any way in which we can
How onc-half the property of the ,
tate to go year after year delinquent, -"
nd at the same time meet the finances Il
f the state and its credit successfully r.
nd not Cypress the other half who
ay their taxes promptly"
Il