Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-24
TIRED OF THE TAX FERRET.

burlington 1aWK- llnnOlS
communities are evidently becom-
ing tired Of the tax ferret plan
Of collecting revenue for the country.
It was at first a popular idea because
1t promised a sure means of recovering
from wealthy individuals and corpora
tions large sums Of money which had
been withheld by means of evasion Of
the taxing laws.
But developments have shown that
the real victims Of the tax ferrets are
Woodworking men of small means, wo-
men and widows who have saved a
little and who We're entirely innocent
of any intent to defraud the county.
Mclean county. Illinois, is one Of the
localities where the tax ferret has
grown unpopular from this cause. The
county attorney has entered a suit to
test the validity Of a contract between
the county and the ferrets whereby the
latter have been receiving large COM
missions. The law is attacked on the
ground that the property is not liable
for taxes not reported against 1t on
the books during the years for which
the taxes have, now been recovered
with the aid Of the ferrets.
1t is stated, however, that the real
cause of the action Is the unpopularity
of the ferret system. When the peo-
pie, 1t Is said, realized the real source
~ AS SSAASJ % Brill IA Ia ICCOipC lllCy
became ashamed Of 1t and determined
to end the partnership with the ferrets
Il possible.
The Dubuque Times, in commenting
on his case declares that the states
should derive their revenues from laws
which are equal in operation and can
be enforced without the aid of ferrets.
"A tax on mortgages can be enforced
impartially only by making 1t appli-
cable to all mortgages regardless OF
ownership" says the Times, and con-
tinues:
Eat present 1t is merely a penalty or
fine which the state imposes on resi-
dent individuals who compete with the
banks, insurance companies, trust
companies and non-residents In maxi
ing loans. The widow can place her
money in the bank at 3h per cent and
dodge the tax, or she can take q loan
at . per cent. and pay a tax of ~ per
cent, from which the bank is exempted.
This is not a Square deal" for the
widow. The tax should not exceed
half of n per cent, but whether 1t be
one per cent, two per cent, or half of
one per cent, it should be uniform re-
CARELESS of the situs or occupation of
the The widow should have
the same liability as the bank, the In
surance company, the trust company
VI y ioii-IColOSllI, LO ulOTe ana III
less"
The Times holds that the state
should tax the instrument regardless
of ownership, just as the federal gov
eminent did during the Spanish
American war. 1t reminds its readers
of the fact that no ferret system was
required to enforce the governments
stamp tax on mortgages, bank checks
or kilograms during the Spanish
American war.
Iowa has had an interesting ex-
p%erience. with the tax ferret system,
and there has been much popular com
plant concerning it. An attempt was
Moines county the ferrets collected
a large amount of none in back taxes
and turned 1t into the treasury, taking
a goodly percentage of the collections
as their fee. While a good deal OF
funds Justly due the county was re-
covered, there is little doubt that con-
siderable hardship was occasioned to
those Of a modest income and small in
vested surplus.