The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-31
REDUCE THE RATE.

When THE HERALD says to the city coun
cil'tbat the rate Of taxation for this city
should be red, Cd. it simply voices the
sentiment aud wish of nine out of ten OF
the property tax payers of this city. There
is 70 politics in this it is plain state
ment of fact, in which all parties are inter
ested- The trebling OF city taxes III one
year BODIES nu good ID cur city, nor can
good possibly cone out of it. Never in
history has city undertaken with sue
cess TO increase prosperity by heavy in
crease of taxes. All parties here are now
thoroughly awake 10 the fact that our
taxes are twice too high. A monster petit
ton is being signed by ninety-tiye per
cent. it is said, of the taxpayers it
reaches, asking that the rate of
tax be reduced to two aud half
mills Oh the dollar. The complaints pour
ing in every night upon the city council
show the general feeling The tax is extor
tionate Many workingnan will be put
to severe straits to pay il. Some will have
to sell out. Many are now anxious to sell,
but prices are weak compared with what
they were six months ago. Where prices
are still kept up, it is a fiction, for there
are no buyers. What will be the result, if
the tax is not reduced! Simply that many
people will be forced to sell, for they can
not live within tho limits of this city and
still pay the taxes. 1t is very probable
that the tax collector himself will make
many of the sales, in which event it will be
dismal advertisement for our city to have
the local papers filled with notices of tax
sales.
Do real estate men realize the effect of
notices of tax sales upon the selling attrac-
tions of real estate. If they do, they will
make a united effort to induce the city coun-
Gil to lower the rate of taxation. Do prop
erty owners realize the extent of the bur
den they must bear unless the tax is
reduced. We think they do, and they
should make themselves heard at the pres
ent moment. Some have suggested that the
city council cannot now change the rate
after it has once been decided on. They
certainly can. They changed their decision
to sell the waterworks upon hearing the
united voice of the citizens; so can they
change, If they will, the rate of taxation
they first decided on, if the citizens take
prompt and decisive action. Now is the
time; in a few days the opportunity will be
past; so let every person who thinks the
tax should be reduced to two and hall
mills sign the petition to that effect.
We repeat that THE HERALD has no OBJ
iect in this recommendation except the
temporal welfare of the citizens. We dc
not wish to see the steady growth of oul
city checked by so slight and so easily rem
edied matter as an unnecessarily high rate
of taxation. Capital will be driven from
us and people will be frightened away by
high taxes.
Property owners are obliged to charge
very high rents in order to compensate the
high taxes, and many who had intended t.
locate here have been unable TO pay ths
rent.
We have every facility here for grea
inland city, so let those who are intere ste,
in our continued growth lend their inf1u
ence to check what must be real hin
drance-heavy taxes.
The heavy tax is not needed by the city
government; it is needed by the taxpayers
and the more wealth that remains il
the hands Of the tax payers, the faster vii
the city grow in wealth. for individual.
will make better use of their money thai
the city council can possibly make of 1t.