The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-08-17
Tell Tax Commission What Tax
alton Reform They Want.
MANY CHANGES DEMANDED
Most of The Representatives of Agri-
cultural Interests Favor a Con-
StitutiOnal Amendment.


the state were invited to appear be-
fore the commission and discuss tax
alton. The meeting was the most sue
cessful of all of the good ones held so
far, and the farmers showed that they
understood the big subject. From
time to time the discussions of the
agriculturists will be run in these
columns.
+. A. Derthick OF Mantua, Master of
the Ohio State Gr.nge. said:
1t is conceded that agriculture bears
both realty and personally tax, be-
cause the land and personally can all
be gotten. while the city tax is prln
cipally a realty tax.
/ like the New York plan Each
taxpayer Is given a pamphlet contain
ing the valuation and assessment of
every other taxpayer in his zone.
From the directory It is learned that
John Jones lives at No. Sixteenth
street. No one goes there TO see John
zones, or calls him up. It is assumed
that If he lives in that environ
ment with all the privileges, he
Is worth at least $4,000 They
send him this notice Dear Sir
You are assessed on valua.
tion of $4,000 and your assessment
is SO much. If not satisfactory call
and see US If nothing is beard from
him they move up on the valuation till
he protests. The tax rate in New
York city is 1.47 against 3 per cent in
Columbus and 3.15 in Cleveland.
To avoid double taxation in mort.
cages Minnesota enacted a mortgage
record tax which went into effect May
/, 1906. The first day about $4,000
was collected from the registration
fees of oncfourth OF per cent in one
county alone, while for the entire pre-
vious year less than $4,000 was col
lected under the uniform rate. After
paying a registration fee the mort.
gage was not further taxed. thus
avoiding double taxation so far as
mortgages are concerned. The State
Grange has for years pronounced
against double tax and fayors release
of tax on mortgages.
While | would rather see. II II could
be brought about. all private property
taxed, yet if 1t is not feasible or prac-
ticable | would protest against pick.
ing out certain forms Of intangible
I property for exemption, as was done
in the case OF municipal bonds. IL
one class of intangible is exempted,
| let all classes be exempt also. / be-
| lieve that a corporation bond may
be more properly exempt than a mu-
nicipal. The corporation bond, say
those who favor exemption of such
, bonds, is simply a deed. Why tax It?
w W tue IOdu, lHdl rs InS property.
| II you tax the bond and tax the road
that is double taxation. I can see
some justice in that. With the munich
! pal bond the thing which II represents
| can not be taxed and it escapes also.
| II Is claimed that the difference
| would be made In the price of bonds,
but experience has proven otherwise.
Even IL little were saved in the pre-.
MUM 1t would be made up in the rate.
| hnTlpI a nf nv
| psdiency Is good one, I think With
adaN of Bio and interest Of per cent
! the Clevelandcr is not going 10 list
his money on deposit. In Mt Vernon
| the tax is 4 per cent and the interest
| . per cent; he is punished a dollar for
being honest. In Bellefontaine the
banks pay 3 per cent aud the tax is 4
per cent How are you going to get
1 this money on the duplicate The
constitution is ironclad. If IL Is re,
turned IL Is struck with the uniform
rate.
Under the uniform rate I'm MARYLAND
the city of Baltimore returned $4,000
900, whicn yielded a revenue of 500,
900. With a flexible rate 100000, ,OOC
was returned, giving an income Ui
$500, 600
The question of distribution is quite
rs important as collection of funds
earnestly recommend the enactment
OF law providing for a uniform sys
tenn of bookkeeping for each depart
ment, with annual auliting by expert
accountants. With this system hon
| estly and earnestly enforced there
would not be need Of a franchise tax
If such system is not provided
would favor franchise tax.
1t is far easier TO point out ineduaI
tiles than suggest a panacea, and
whoever assumes TO point out the un
errlng way to a sane and perfect sys
tenn of tax revision in all its details
Is encouraging ms to pursue a will.'o
the-wisp Taxation is q creature o.
growth. Students of taxation sa,
there is embedded into our constiti
tion an insurmOuntable barrier to (
Just system-the uniform rate-ant
there Is now in the hanGs of the tax
alton committee of the house a bil
which provides for the classification
of property. Whether the constitution
shall be so amended is the burnin,
question of the hour. The Grange ha,
not yet pronounced on this Droposi
ton. Our 500 lodges, ranging In mem
bershin from 20 TO 900, are studyini
the question diligently, and | presIm,
the next State Grange will takR som,
position. At the last session by imam
imous vote, the state Grange declared
its willingness to cooperate with al
! OlHtl lultItblS lU pIulIOllnR Supn
revision of our tax system as woult
be just and fair TO all classes A
Master of the State Grange | woult
not undertake to speak for that bod
! till it has declared its position Wha
say is the result Of my personal cor
victions and upon my own responsj
bility. Our constitution was borl
more than half century ago and OF
dained to meet conditions existinI
then. This reyered document Is cor
fronted by conditions OF witch on
fathers never dreamed. II is my dc
liberate opinion that there shoul
now be lodged in some department. O
the government directly responsible
to the people, authority TO revise on
system of taXGtion from time to tim
as changed conditions, necessities an
experience suggest.
The equitable assessment OF pei
sonal property, much the larger POI
tlon OF which Is invisible, seems s.
hopeless a problem everywhere that
is leading an increasingly large nun
ber of persons to the belief that tn
, tax on that sort OF property should b
, abolished and something In the natur
, of graded income tax substituted. e.
County Board Of Assessment, Passait