Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-01-08
WHAT TAX PAYERS WILL PAY.
Iron the milwaukee, Fsee Press. /


There is not an individual tax payer
in Wisconsin who does not have to pay
this year and every year, more taxes
than he would have to pay if the pro-
mise that was made by the republican
convention of 1900 had Teen kept last
winter. That promise " : that the tax
commission would be a9le to present
the facts essential as :. oasis TO sound
legislative Judgment, and it was declared
that TO the enactment Of such Jaws as
may be necessary to compel each indi-
vidual ard every corporation transact
ing business within the state, tn hear a
justly proper tomato share Of the burden
of taxation. the republican party ot the
state stands pledgeu
The bill that was introduced TO redeem
this edge last winter, bu5 that was de
feated in Difference TO the wishes of the
corporations, provided for the increased
PAYMENT of an amount of taxes. about
equal TO the much talked-of increase in
the mil tax Tax payers who will
realize that thi4 increased tax amounts
to something, when they come to pay
their taxes this winter, will under
stand that the tax commissioners bIll
provided for about the same amount of
money, in the form of increased taxes
on railroad property alone, in the state,
as the entire mill-tax increase amounts
to.
The difference between the increased
mill tax and thu increased railroad tax
is this. that tine mill tax is raised and
the money realized from ii will be used
for the schools, and the money provided
by means of this tax will not have to BE-
provided in any other way. Every dol
lar recsived from the mill tax makes 4
dollar by ordinary tax unnecessary, and
not u cent Of the money will be wasted
or fooled away unless the people inter
ested in caring for it permit it.
The III )ney that the railroads would
have been compelled to pay into the
treasury Of the state, the peoples treas
ury, is not to be paid at ali. 1t would
have amounted to about one and one
quarter millions for the two years Of the
legislative term; and the point to be
kept in mind is, that had the bill become
law, and that amount of money was
being paid by the roads this year, the
individual taxes would be that amount
less than they are now going to be. This
is proposition. and statement of the
case that every farmer and merchant
and manufacturer in the state can I'M
/
such man is paying money that some
other man or set of men ought to pay.
II there was legal method for fur
nishing dry goods and groceries, or
art works or books, to "A few men vt
prices much less than the majority arc
compelled to pay, and if the majority
knew that it was paying a le-gely in
creased price in order that the minority
might enjoy them at much less price,
there would be protest And still this
is exactly the result Of f6voritism in
taxation Every honest tax payers re-
ceipt represents more money than lE
would represent if all the property of
the tax dodgers was uncovered and made
to bear its just proportionate share OF
the tax burden The effort is being
made now to compel the assessment of
all property at full valuation. There
is no other means for an equitable as
sessment; but it becomes more than ever
important to the individual tax payer
that the great properties of the corpora
| tions shall be brought under the same
rule that governs the assessments and
collection of taxes for himself,