The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-05-09
A Slap at the Board Of Equalization


The Leon board OF equalization came
in for a half column of vile personal
abuse from the Leon Journal last week.
because they had been doing their plain
duty under the law.
rhe direct cause was the assessment
on THE REPORTER Office. For the first
time on record the Journal admits The
REPORTER is worth something. Hereto
fore it has never amounted to anything
but suddenly in the Journals estimation
it is worth between So, 900 and $1,000.
The Journal says that when the
assessor appears the value dwlndles
down to less than 500. that we are a
tax dodger and should be indicted by
the grand jury. Now let us see how
near the Journal as usual comes to tell
ing the truth. While it is true that THE
REPORTER is one of the best newspapers
in the state, that Is not the question
when it comes to taxing the property.
The good will and business is worth ten
times what the material In the Office is,
and under the law. tine actual cash value
OF the material is all that can be taxed.
You can not tax newspaper proprietor
for the good will and subscription list of
his paper any more than you can tax
doctor or lawyer on their practice. Is
the Journal 80 foolish as to believe that
any of our business or professional men
are taxed on their trade or practice?
We think not.
The value of the machinery and type
in a printing office at their actual value.
what they could be sold for on the
what is taxable. The REpoRrER's assess
&c
$675, and after.taking out the exemp-
the exemption allowed to others, it
is lower than it has been for many years
and in making the assessment this year,
for the first time, the depreciation in
the value of machinery was taken into
consideration. The presses in use in
The REPORTER office have been used, the
two largest ones, for more than 80 years.
Originally they cost a great deal of
money, but this style of presses are not
now made and they can be purchased very
cheap. 1t is just the same as assessing
threshing machine or any other ma.
chinery. There Is depreciation in
value each year it is used. The matter
was fully discussed by the local board of
L VIII POSOA Va SONOA "a Jul
leading citizens, men who are trying to
do what is right and it is shame for
them to be the subjects of such vile
abuse as that heaped on them by the
Journal. We appeared before the board
and submitted evidence showing what
similar machinery to that In THE REPoR.
TER Office can be bought for to-day, and
by a unanimous vote our statements
were accepted by the board of equaiza-
ton.
| We also offered to allow the material
to- be invoiced by any competent person
selected by the board and were willing
to pay taxes on the amount that the
presses were appraised at. AS to the
charge that the editor of The REPORTER
is tax dodger, the tax books for this
year will show that we pay $65.72 in
taxes. Evidently not very successful
dodger are we?
And at the same meeting of the board
of equalization the editor of the Journal
appeared and asked that the assessm ent
GU the Journal be reduced to $500, just
1925 more than the assessment on The
REPORT Err. If we are tax dodger how
about the Journal?
Il