Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-11-24
Pages Proposed Tax Bill.

Ex-Governor John b. Page has published
in the Rutland Herald long communica-
ton explaining the provisions of his bill,
which appears in our report of legislative
proceedings, and illustrating its practical
application. After dwelling upon the we'll
known inequalities of the old system and
old methods, which are only too familiar to
all who have had an experience in what
seems to be the chief end of man in this
state,-to pay taxes, Mr.. Page says: "To
further illustrate the workings of the pres
emit system, we will assume the total taxa
ton for all pui poses to average two hundred
per cent on the grand list, and this is not
far from the actual average.
being y. 0c O real and
estate aud the polls ats2.
tax OF two hundred cents on dollar on this -.
This being the approximate sum the people Of '''' W
OF ihls amount under the present system the .,,
TRs personal pSs estate WIN $50 g
"Do not these figures of themselves pre-
sent the gross inequalities of the present
system in a glazing light ? Note that the
real estate pays nearly five times as much
as the personal property, and the polls
almost as much as the personal property.
1t is believed the bill under consideration
will raise upon the personal estate, including
the tax on railroads, insurance, telegraph
and express companies, at least $3.50, 900
annually. A careful computation with the
data at present attainable gives sum rather
in excess than under this amount. 1t is
proposed (section thirty-eighD to reduce
the polls to 81. Now, with these results and
changes, let us apply the working of the new
measure in raising sum equal to the APP
proximated sum required, viz, S2,0O7, 900:
The real estate, under its present low appraisal
OF not exceeding forty per cent of lis true - 81.
value would pay slll5V2O 20
The personal estate, tc............... 10000 %
"There can be no doubt but Just ap.
praisal of the real estate would largely re-
duce the per cent of tax, and to bring about
equality, as far as possible, the poll tax
should be reduced. The purpose of the
bill, in connection with other legislation in
relation to the grand list law, is to bring
about a reduction in taxation to basis of
not exceeding one per cent on all classes of
property. Under the present law the man
whose property is all exposed to assessment,
or who gives an honest list-and we have
many such in our state-is defrauded. /
have stated that this bill would produce
annually into the state treasury $75O,00O.
Deducting the probable amount of the ap-
preparations for state expenses for the
coming year, s270,000, and we have left a
balance of siSO,000 to be distributed to the
towns, a sum equal to tax of nearly forty
eight cents on the dollar Of the present
grand list of the several towns. Finally, it
was thought best to make this act operative
only during the years 1881 and 1882, as it
is necessarily somewhat of an experiment,
and 10 suspend mot alter merely any con
ficting provisions of the present law. Al
the end of this biennial term, If this act has
demonstrated its right to live the legisla
ture can engraft its provisions upon the
grand list law"