The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1904-02-20
TEN THOUSAND PAID.
Ii is Tax Money-A Portlander's Ques-
'tion About Taxes and the Answer.

Ten thousand dollars in Benton
County tax money has been turned
over to the county treasurer by
Sheriff Burnett, and it is probable
that payment on Benton's portion
of the state taxes will Immediately
be made The whole sum is less
than half enough to pay the state
tax, which is the largest in the his
tory of the county, being $24,745.
The latter sum is more than Sc, 900
more than the whole expenditure
for conducting Benton county last
year, the current county expenses
being something over $4,000.
Up to Thursday evening 32S
persons had paid their taxes, as
against 2eo on the date last year.
The more numerous payments this
year indicates that everybody is
hurrying to take advantage of the
three per cent rebate, allowed for
taxes paid on or before March 5th.
A Portland man who owns 100
acres of land in Alsea was notified
by Sheriff Burnett that his taxes
amounted to $e,S5. He wrote back
Immediately that there must be
some mistake in the amount of his
taxes, and requested the sheriff to
explain. The Portlander said he
had never paid so much on the land
before. The sheriff is a busy man
now, and had no time to answer.
Thursday a second letter came from
the Portlander, enclosing stamped
envelope and again requesting a reply
To this the sheriff made the follow
ing response. "Your land is val
ued at $500 and the levy is 1914
mills, making your taxes $9.S5.
You will get yonr money back and
more in 1905" The reference was
to the 1905 fair for which the state
legislature made an appropriation
Of $500, 900, which is one of the
huge appropriations that has so in
creased state taxes, and which is
mostly responsible for the high taxes
this year.
In spite of many explanations
made in these columns, all people
do not understand that the larae
amount of tax money now being
collected is not due to high taxes
for county purposes. NThe county
levy this year is only FIVE mills as
against fifteen mills last year. The
raise in valuation OF property is
II per cent. If the valuation were
the same this year as it was last,
the county levy, in order to raise
the sum required for county ex-
penditures would only be S.6 mills.
That is to say exclusive of rebate
the levy is to yield about $2o,5oo
for county expenses On the high.
er valuation it takes only FIVE mills
levy to do thia; while on the lowe,
valuation of last year it would take
SO mills. Save in the case of the
Fischer estate on which the valua-
ton was raised from $26, 900 to
about SIS 900, of the Hays estate
which was also largely advanced
and in the case of less than half {
dozen others, every man in the
county is paying much smalle,
amount for county purposes thar
formerly. in spite of the higher
valuations.
The figures show that the sun
being collected for county expense
is very small, being smaller thar
it has been in many years. 1t i
made possible by the fact that las
years expenditures were only {
little over SIS, 900, and the count.
court hopes to be able to conduc
the county affairs as economical,
the coming year.
The big items of the tax now be
ing collected are, state taxes, $24.
745; state school, about $4,000
and county, exclusive of rebate
and including taxes that never will
be collected, 500, 5oo- The Item
of state tax aud state school tax
aggregate more than double tn
tax for county purposes But fo
the munificence of the legislature il
making appropriations last year
the tax collections this year wou1e
be comparatively low. Half mil
lion for the 1905 Fair, 500. 600 fo
i the Indian war veterans, and th'
big slices for the Portage road, al
swelled into an aggregate. that il
spite of the numerous vetoes O
Governor Chamberlain which saw
ed thousands, makes taxes agair
very high. As long as Legislatures
appropriate with generous hand, Sc
long there will be no rest from tax
es. 1t is an absurd proposition
that Benton's portion of the stat
taxes should be more than it cost
to conduct her county government
yet. that is the condition, the stat'
tax exceeding the county tax to th,
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