Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-03-18
The New Tax Law.

The Rutland Herald favors the new tax
law on much the same grounds as did the
FREE Press. 1t says:
The new tax law is the subject Of a deal
of unfavorable criticism, if We may judge
from the tone of many of our State eN-
changes, For the most of this criticism
there seems to be no foundation whatever !;
it is of the carping, pettifogging, microscopic
sort that every law is sure 10 encounter that
seeks to correct gross popular abuse. VI
course nobody expects that the new law IS
perfect but it is so long stride IN advance
of the old law as an honest and vigorous ell
fort to abate the evil of annual tax evasion,
and adjust the taxes upon more equitable
basis for ALL that it is fairly entitled to can
did trial by the people. The intelligent foes
of the tax law are usually those who are in
terested in stimulating popular dissatisfaction
with it, because in their own individual in
stance the law drags property into the list that
under the old statute was successfully screen
ed from taxation. The great mass of our
Vermont taxpayers We believe will pay less
taxes for the future than under the old law.
That is the opinion of one Of the best lawyers
and legislators that supported the act before
its passage. There is nothing in the law that
ought to be seriously offensive TO any man
who is not in the position of q rogue that
feels the halter draw and naturally curses the
situation. The great mass of taxpayers will
have their taxes very sensibly decreased I'M
der the operation of this law. This was the
experience of New Hampshire, whose law is
somewhat similar to our own. On Its first
passage before trial it was bitterly denounc-
ed on all sides, but its practical results were
90 satisfactory that the people are a unit in
its favor sday.
OF course the efficiency of this law depends
upon the honesty, courage and competency
of the assessors, who will be expected 10 be
careful in their appraisal of real estate, and
to use their full power under the law to
secure as far as possible honest lists That
there should be any widespread popular objec-
ton to the law we cannot believe, for the only
points about which there is serious cavil
seem to US of little practical consequence to
any honest man disposed to put in fair list !;
we can see q number Of reasons why men
constitutionally disposed to dodge their
taxes should wish 10 foment an ignorant
prejudice against the law in advance
Of trial. If the listers do their duty under
the law, the law will not want for popu-
lar support hereafter and no honorable
man, of course, has any business to accept
the position Of lister unless he means to do
his duty. his whole duty and nothing but his
duty. The whole clamor raised over the tax
law seems to US where it is not interested OPP
position to be ignorant and prejudiced. There
are places in the law, as in all new laws, that
could, perhaps, be clarified to advantage
but there is nothing in it whose enforcement
will make any but the CALLED jade vince :;
men disposed to deal honestly with the
public, and who are intelligent, will not
be troubled by the law. The intelligent
faultfnders, We suspect, are the intelli-
gent wrong doors, and these are the very
persons that the law was passed TO force, if
possible, to pay their just proportion of the
public taxes. When the largest proportion
Of the richest men in Burlington and else
where throughout the State seldom report
more than $1,000 in personal property, and
sometimes none at all, it is worth while to
| try and smoke some of them out of the
bushes into the open ground, where their
hitherto invisible property becomes visible
to the naked eye. Let the public opinion
keep the listers up to the level of their full
legal duty. and the great mass of our taxpay-
ers will have no real ground for finding fault
with the law