Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1884-11-25
Delinquent rnxcs

Under this caption The StaIesman makes
the following sensible !, marks. showing
how the law works a hardship On most
OF the tax payers, unnecessarily, by COM
polling pay ment long before Tie money is
matte use OF by the several counties. Look
ing at the question in the light OF justice
and right, the tax payers should be given
an extension Of time, for the following
reasons, and the arguments used in sp, ak
ing of Ada county, can be applied with
equal force in relation to the tax payers of
all the other counties Of the Territory. The
tax law ought 70 be amended:
THE whole amount of taxes assessed
upon the properly Of Ada county this year
is about $66.O0O. Of this, about $1,000 is
delinquent The law, as it now stands, re-
quires the taxes to be paid by the second
Monday in November OF each year, in de-
fault of which 10 per cent is added to the
amount of the tax, the names of del,n-
quents are required TO be published and
the property to be sold within twenty days
after the taxes become delinquent. The
W iole amount OF taxes collected, the bulk
of which is paid by the first Of November,
then remains untouched in the county
treasury until the second Monday in Jan
nary of the following year. The portion
of tho taxes constituting the county school
fund remains in the treasury until the first
OF March, before which time it cannot be
apportioned among the several school dis
tricts. The time at w hich the taxes are
required TO be paid comes at the time OF
year when II is the most difficult tor the
farmers to realize upon their farm prod
ucts. AT present, none OF these products
eau be sold directly for money, 70 raise
money, grain must be exchanged at the
mills Tor flour and this commodity IN. st
be hauled to the mining districts and sold
All this entails heavy loss ON the farm
Ell and requires much time and labor. O,n.
er farm products besides gram require tc
be held until near the close Of the year be
fore they can bt sold without loss. This
condition OF things affects net only the
farmers, but all classes of taxpayers wht
depend for money upon what is due them
from the farmers. Directly and indirect
~ II affects every interest OF the county
Of the farmers and other ax.payers, tn,
number is very inconsiderable who woulc
not, II possible, willingly and gladly pa,
their taxes at the time required sooner THAI
10 suffer the single penalty OF seeing thei
names published rs delinquent, to sa,
nothing of The further penalties of the L
per cent addition and the threatened sal
OF their property. A simple statement 0
the case suillces to SHOW how unwise an,
unjust is the present law, and how oppres
sive it Is upon the people. There is n,
shadow OF reason why the time require,
Tor the payment OF the taxes could not b
extended another eight weeks, or at leas
into the month of January This woul,
give the farmers more time at a season
when time is absolutely necessary to ena
bic them to iaise money There is, undo
The provisions of the present law, the &C
diiional absurdity of locking up the mon
ey derived from the taxes and keeping
idle in the treasury for months after it ha
been hastily forced from the TAXPAYER
The remedy for these evils is obvious an
easy and the matter should be pressed III
on the attention ofthe coming Legislature
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