The daily sentinel. [volume] (Grand Junction, Colo.) 1893-current, 1906-04-09
UNEQUAL TAXATION.

The fruit growers for many years
have been paying taxes disproportion-
ate TO the value of property. They
have been paying ON assessed valu-
alton far below that which Is right
and Just.
a law which has been misinter-
ipreted for years, has been the means
by which they have evaded fair and
proportionatc taxation. We can see
no reason why a laboring man who
owns a small home. worth but sever
] al hundred dollars should pay as
much taxes man with an orchard
of from ten to tewnty acres which is
7 salahle at from ten 10 fifteen thou
sand dollars and which yields an an
nuaI revenue of several thousand dol
lars net.
The premise upon which assessments
have been made are upon the law,
which stated that improvements up
on land and farms should he exempt
from taxation for a period OF ten
] years, which law was passed 10 en-
courage the planting of trees through
out this state.
This law has always been inter.
prefcd as being for ten years from the
date. of planting the aforesaid trees.
The interpretation put upon IL, ac-
cording TO the best lawyers In the
state has been most erroneous. The
law Is part Of the states constitution
and was effective for the ten year
period, from the date of The adoption
of the constitution. Had the law been
passed at n later period il might have
meant tlat il was Ia indicate per-
iod from the time ca IA individual or
chnrdist planted his trees.
With the prices at which five and
tcn-acrc tracts are selling in the fruit
districts, the land Is paying u very
disproportionate amount of the taxes
of the county. IL is unreasonable to
ask II hard laboring man to pay up
ON property, which earns him no reve-
nuc, as much as an orchartlist, whose
land returns him large revenue each
year. There have been tracts of land
sold throughout this county the past
year for sums of from ten to twenty
thousand dollars, the taxes ON which
were hardly any more than is paid
by small residence in this city.
The laboring men of this city and
the small property owner everywhere
is indignant that such n condition
should continue when it is not the
intent of the law that those big reve-
nue. paying properties should be eN-
empt.
We can show properties, the taxes
of which are ridiculous. considering
the amount of revenue derived from
them and the amount of purchase
price asked for them.
IL cannot be considered as inius-
tice TO any man or property owner to
he placed on the same level with his
fellows. IL is distinct and growing
menace however. to good government
TO make one man bear anothcr's bur-
den.
The taxes of this county should
amount to "A third more than they do,
without an injustice being done to any
man. Without the assessor takes cog
niznnce of the truth and intent of die
law. he will he made TO suffer there
for. as there is growing sentiment
and determination upon the part of
the owners of property to demand
Justice i'm their case.
II Is our belief that small prop
crty owner i'm this city, with non
rcVenue-producing property, whose !
taxes are rs large or larger than
man who generally takes several
thousand dollars from his lands, may
refuse to pay any of his taxes, until I
such unNNarrantcd and unjust dis I
elimination he removed, as applied
to the owners of lands and orchards I
in this valley.