The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-08-26
The new PLAN OF TAXATION
AS PROPOSED
BY THE TAX COMMISSION

preten ,e of license to pay a ia,
to the State, and not also the iron
steel and tin plate mills, glass
pottery and brick works, steam and
electric railroads, pulp mills
tanneries and lumber interests
Why should the great railroad
corporations be relieved of the $50
200 per annum State and STATE
school tax now paid by them, and
the burden of their exemption bt
ssddled on the coal operators in
the form of third of cent tom
mage K on their "a 100000 tons
outpu /? Why should the producers
of oil aud gas, who have expend
ed in the development of our pro
ducing fields money capital largely
greater in amount than the aggre'
gate value of all the States oil iand
gas production, be Disseminated
against in favor of the non resident
land owners who hold vast areas
of our domain and do nothing to
increase the wealth or advance the
prosperity of the State?
| Our coal is sold in the worlds
markets at prices fixed by
competition with the product oi
other States. Why should we
place special and unusual burdens
upon it? Why should West
Virginia, with it's future possi-
bilities as great manufacturing
State. WELD it's taxing power to
strike at the basis of all industrial
development-oheap fuel?
Regardless. however, of the par
tioular subject of suoh tax, we CON.
tend that any tax on production is
wrong in principle and contrary to
enlightened public policy. 1t is
in effect tax upon the came capi.
tai over and over again as often as
it appears in the shape of the
product taxed. 1t is tax on
energy and enterprise, tending to
retard development and industrial
growth and to drive away capital
or force it into idleness.
There are other features of the
proposed system which in our
judgment condemn it as a praoti.
cal and rational scheme of taxation.
1t strikes down about $780,
600 of the States revenues, and
by its own best showing, with
all it's discrjminations and in.
equalities. fails by at least 5000,
600 to supply the deficit, and even
then it requires the counties to
pay at least seventy-fve per oen'
of the cost of maintaining the
humane institutions and seventy
five per cent of the criminal char.
ges, now paid by the State.
We submit that if the State can
dispence with 100000, or one.
fourth Of the present State and
State school tax, without orippling
it's finances, it were better to out
down the present tax rate, and to
continue under the old system
and by constitutional methods to
support it's charitable and humane
institutions and meet it's criminal
charges. Certainly nothing is gain.
ed by pretending to lift the burden
of State taxation for these pur-
poses, only to re impose it again
for the same purposes by way of
added county taxes through oum-
bersome and expensive methods
of collection and settlement be.
tween the State and the counties.
Moreover, we believe it to be q
chief function of State government
to properly safeguard the peace,
order aud security of society by the
punishment of it's felcns and the
care for it's insane, and this duty to
society at large should not be shift
ed in whole or in part upon the
counties, any more than the latter
should in turn place the burden
upon the individual citizen. The
temptation to let criminals go un-
molested to save the costs of prose.
cution, and to abandon the insane
and other unfortunates to save the
expense of their proper care and
protection, would be difficult to re.
sist under conditions prevailing in
many counties in West Virginia
| The new plan provides for annu.
al assessments of real estate, which
must needs result in constant liti.
cation, the overorowling of court
dockets with suits growing out OF
inequalities therein, real or im.g.
mary. and consequent confusion
and delay in enforcing the oolleo.
ton of the levies.
| 1t requires the assessment of all
real and personal property of the
citizen for county, district and mu
nioipal purposes to be at its actual
value, with the apparent purpose
of enabling the counties to thus
raise the additional revenues nec
essary for the support of the State
institutions without increasing the
tax rate for county purposes In
faot as. as an off set to such in
creased valuations, it pretends tc
limit the levy for county purposes
to 60 cents on the 500 valuation
yet really leaves it open for thu
county court to levy an additiona
Il