Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-11-30
NEEDED CHANGES
RECOMMENDED ~ ATTORNEY
GENERAL OF COLORADO.
TO SAVE INHERITANCE TAX

should os Special Clerk In Auditors
ofFies-shouid Change Makeup Of
STATE Land eoard-RaIiroads should
De exempted From Flat Tax Law.
Denver. = with recommendation
that tho State Land Board he changed
entirely in its organization: that .
clerk be appointed in tho auditors Of
nee to look after Inheritance tax COL
lcctions: that the law be changed and
that law be enacted compelling al
corporations organized under the laws
OF the state to be explicit In the pur,
poses OF their organization. Attorney
General N. C. Miller submits his bien.
NAL report to Governor Mcdonald.
In It Mr.. Miller states that while for.
merly tho criminal work OF his otiice
was the most important. It Is not 80
now. 1.-THE work that requires the most
time." he says. relates to the civil law.
For instance the revenue act imposing
the Inheritance tax has made an I'm.
mense amount OF labor. ..for this ofiice.
Although the law imposes no duty on
this ONCE to look after the collection
OF the Inheritance tax. yet the governor
has tho right to direct the attorney gen.
cral to take care OF ail suits In which
the state has an interest. and this has
been donc by written order.
"ln my judgment the work arislns
from the Inheritance tax law In bccom-
Ing too large and important to be han.
died in this way. The bookkeeping and
auditing department OF the state In In
the auditors once. and my judgment
IL that q cicrk should be provided who
has authority TO examine all papers and
Inquire into NIL proceedings conccrnlns
Inheritance tax. When mnttors appear
which should be iiigntcd. the auditor
has the authority to call upon the attor.
ney general TO take charge"
In discussing tho land board the nj.
torney general suggests n complete
change. Al present tho board In made
up OF tho governor. the attorney gen
cra'. secretary OF state and the stats
superintendent OF public instruction
There arc employed by tho board reg
lister. n deputy and chief appraiser.
During tho biennial period under Gov
crnor Orman tho revenues for the
state from Its lands were 93:5 900. Thil
Increased to $4,000 under Governor
Peabody. and by tho end Of the present
biennial period will have increased "a
| S6s0.000. so that the work OF the board
In constantly growing.
Mr.. Miller suggests that three per
sons could bs employed Mt very littl>
more than Ia paid now to tho register
and his assistants, TO devote their on
tirs time TO the work md take II On
tircly from tho control OF tho otho,
state officers. This. he believes. wouit
mean vast saving to the state. ns tho
revenues arising from the busincs
| could bc made much larger II Il wer,
looked after closely.
Raiiroad corporations. Mr.. Mile
says. should be taxed upon their milo
ago In tho state. and not upon their 10
tnl capitalization ns Ii provided for Il
the nat tax law. All other corpora
tions, he says. should be taxed on thcil
total capitalization. as tho law pro
vidcs. To carry out this suggcatios
would necessitate slight change Il
tho law. and this Is recommended
Other Recommendation nre givcn un
Ger the discussion on corporations. On,
Is that u law should be enacted com
| polling all domestic corporations to b
specific rs to the purposes for which
they nre organized. Also that domca
tic corporations should be required 4
have m agent upon whom NIL paper
could bc served.