News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1899-03-01
DOUBLE TAXATION.

Mr.. EdItOr:-
With your permission l would like
to criticise Mr.. Morse's article on
double taxation, in your paper OF
Feb. s. He says, when the farm was
in my hands the Listers appraised it
at $4,000 Now, when the public get
taxes on SO 900 the same as Others
pay, is not that, in equity, all the
public is entitled ?" Where was AS
$500 before he bought? If it
was where the Listers could find it,
they made listagainst A for 81 800.
II so was not A and Morse paying a
tax on list of "a, 500? lfsO, where
is there any Justice in cutting the list
down to $4,000 after selling the
place to A?
Now in his last suppositiOn without
any credit. He says, Suppose A has
$4,000 upon which he has long been
paying taxes. | had a $4,000 farm
on which had been doing the same"
A buys Morse's farm paying $4,000
down. After the transaction he says,
"Now between us we represent SO 900
lust as we did before trading on
which we are ready to pay just tax
es." Now if there is $4,000 that he
considers it Just to pay taxes on in
the last suppOsitiOn. | cannot see
WHY there was not 81 500 which
should be subject to taxation in the
first superstition, for Morse bad
$4,000 the same as in the second
snppositiOn and A had 81, 800.
Now | will put the question in
another form. A wishes to buy
Morse's farm. He says to Morse,
81 have $4,000, but if | buy your
farm | will have to stock it and buy
farm tools. and shall want some
money for that. | will buy your
farm and pay you $500 down and
give you my notes for 81 200 and
will give you a mortgage on the farm
to secure the payment of the ST, 200.
To all of which Morse agrees. A puts
$500 into stock and 5000 into farm
tools. Morse has been paying taxes
on a list of $50 assessed on his farm.
A has been paying taxes on a person
al list of $50.
Here is represented $4,000, the
same as in Morse's last superstition,
Now when A makes out his inventory
the first of April, he will put down
real estate $4,000, personal proper
ty 5000 which shall swear off as |
am owing Morse (he may say ST.
200) but he is not obliged to put it
over 5000 in order to swear off his
personal property. Now A has a
$50 list and if Morse puts into the
list 81 800 cash on hand and 81 200
in notes he will have a $50 list the
same as they had before they traded.
Should they not pay taxes on $4,000
after trading the same as before?
Now let us try the single taxation
law on this case. A buys Morse's
farm paying 81 1900 down and gives
note to Morse for 81, 200, then A
will have list on the farm for $1S,
and on personal property So, max
ing his list 1924. Morse pays taxes
on SIP list on the farm and on his
cash on hand $500 which makes
his list $50. Morse and AS list put
together is now $54, a shrinkage OF
$6. Now if Morse should put $1400
of this money into the savings bank
it will shrink the list TO $40.
All of the single taxation men seem
to overlook the fact that the debtor
has a partial relief from double taxa
ton Ito a greater or less degree) in
the law as it now is. he can swear of
all of his personal property to the
amount of his indebtedness if he has
enough to do it. | think that in
more than One-half OF the cases the
personal property that is sworn off,
will balance the Indebtedness.
If he swears off his real estate and
has to pay on bis personal estate
where is he he gamer ? Only to the
extent that his Indebtedness exceeds
bis personal property. Now suppose
when the mOrtgagOr asks the mort
gage for time on bis loan the mort
gage says, II will loan you the
money if you will agree to pay the
taxes on my share of the mortgaged
estate, otherwise cannot do it, as
taxes are very high in your town and
can do better with my money in
some other place than to let you
have it. unless you will pay the tax
es." If the mortgagOr agrees to this
trade he is worse off than under the
present law, for he will have to pay
taxes on all of the real estate also
on his personal estate. If you let the
mOrtgagOr swear off from his list the
amount of his mortgage, then you
shrink the list on real estate in the
town where the mo:tgager lives the
amount Of the mortgage. That
would in many towns decrease the
grand list to such an extent that
they would have to raise a much
larger rate per cent. to pay current
expenses that it would not relieve the
mortgagor to any great extent.
NORMAN.
Mr.. EditOr:-
/ want to talk little more through
the columns of your valuable paper
Now, elect myself as a Lister, or an
Assessor of real and personal prop.
Al - 7