Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-10-04
Advanced, Practical Ideas on the Business At
fairs Of the State, and on the
SUBJECT OF DOUBLE TAXATION
Little Business Of Importance Transacted Yet In Eihe
House. Rev. M. Warner Elected Chaplain
OF TIE House.
SENATE, MORNING.

SENATE, MORNING.
Called to order by Lieutenant-G Gov.
ernor Bates. Prayer offered by Chap.
lain Long. The standing committees
were announced and adjourned fo1
Joint assembly at 10.45.
HOUSE, MORNING.
Called to order by Speaker Proctor.
Prayer by Or. Seaver of Montpelier.
Yesterdays journal approved.
Joint resolutions passed giving each
member two daily and one weekly
paper: to furnish the clerks of House
and Senate two typewriters, each all at
the expense Of the taxpayers Of the
state.
Resolution granting free use of
House to Society of Colonial Danes,
Oct. %, evening, passed.
JOINT ASSEMBLY.
Gov. Smiths retiring message was
far from being the usual dry state
document and commanded the un-
divided attention of the joint assem-
bly,.
The parts relating to the auditing
department and double taxation were
especially interesting. Regarding the
latter he said:
so.CALLED 'DOuBLE TAXATION. "
"The question of double taxation
has been the topic of discussion at
each session of the legislature since
the present law was enacted. At the
last session a commission was appoint
ed to look into the subject, and its re-
port will be found to contain much
valuable information, but it has
seemed to me from the investigation
| have given the subject there is a
short cut to relief that is worthy of
consideration aside from the valuable
recommendation and suggestions
contained in the report of the COM
mission referred to.
"The term double taxation seems
to be msnomer as applied to the
evil sought to be remedied here in
Vermont.
"The alleged double taxation here
arises from the taxation of real estate
at it's full value, and if there is mort
gage on it, of taxing the mortgage
at it's full value also.
This is not double taxation because
there are two distinct property inter-
ests which are liable to taxation and
which are taxed separately-the real
estate itself and the money which is
represented by the mortgage. Neither
property value is taxed twice under
our law. The state simply taxes the
full value of the real estate to the
owner.and then taxes the mortgagee on
his money. This is unfair but not
unlawful.
1t is lust at this point in calling
this situation double taxation and
trying to dig a remedy for the real
hardships out of it, that those who
have discussed the question hereto
fore have drifted off into the abstract
question of taxation in general and
failed always to find any relief to a
manifest and objectionable injustice
to the owner of real estate in Ner-
mont.
AS matter of fact the solution is
simplicity itself, if one but takes the
trouble to analyze the problem. The
injustice and wrong arise from the
statute which provides that real and
and personal estate shall be placed in
the list at it's value in money and
with respect to real estate makes the
mortgagor pay the tax on the entire
value of the real estate and allows him
no offset to his debts, while with res
pect to personal estate the right to
offset is allowed to the owner thereof
and only the balance is taxed. 1t is
this unfair, unjust discrimination be-
tween real and personal property that
causes all the trouble.
The situation is even worse than
appears on the face Of it. Under the
provisions of the constitution each
citizen is called upon to bear his pro-
portion, (Which means his just pro-
portion) of taxation and under the
provisions Of the statute referring to
the owner of personal estate may not
only offset any mortgage on his per-
sonal property, If it is mortgaged, but
Concluded on Last Pagcl