Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-05-18
commercial Club of Des Moines
| May Cooperate With State
Committee
|bENrlMENT RAPIDLY CHANGING
tx revision Favored as Question is
atudisd- Monies and Credits Escape
5 Taxation Under Present System
Campaign Of Education Being
Worked Out.
,ecial ia Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines May 1S.-The Des
doines Commercial Club has become
interested in the subject of tax revis-
ION, and will probably in time be In
auced TO cooperate with the tax re-
vision committee organized by Frank
Pierce, OF Marshalltown. Representa-
tive Grier, Of Poweshiek county, and
others, Just following the last session
bf the legislature. This tax revision
Iommittee was organized to conduct a
campaign Of education because the
legislature refused to provide tax re-
Vision commission to study the mat
{ Ter. The committee has taken 1t up
with the Des Moines Commercial Club
Ind has asked the club to listen to an
address by member Of the commits
tee. The committee desires to enlist
the interest OF the club in the move
Iment.
The club here has not only shown
Iits interest to the extent OF express-
ang ready willingness to listen to any
speaker the committee desires to send
to Des Moines, and to appoint q spe-
scial occasion for such an address, but
members OF the club have taken the
matter UP also, and the club has made
arrangements to have an address here
l by the man who was chiefly respon-
ssibie for putting the axSsystem of the
scity OF Cleveland. Ohio, on q model
ibasis. The Cleveland man will 9speak
there some time the coming tall. The
Iowa tax revision society wants to ar
range to have their speaker come here
soon, but the club VIII probably not
arrange TO have him here till fall,
leither
In the meantime members Of the
! Des Moines Commercial Club have
taken an interest In this tax revision
matter OF their own accord. and by the
Istime the legislature meets In Janus
ary, 1908, It will be found that there Is
,already q considerable sentiment IN
favor OF radical changes in the taxa
ton laws, sentiment much greater
than when the matter was presented to
the legislature ct the session IN 1907.
Mack Olson, real. estate agent. and
director OF the Commercial Club, has
been studying the taxation laws, and
has become convinced that II Iowa
would adopt the simple little expedi-
/ sent OF the New Zealanders and provide
4 law allowing cities or other civil
corporations to purchase any property
al the, price the owner Axes on It for
assessment purposes, It will have gone
q long way towards solving the taxa
/ ton problem,
Take one instance IN Des Moines.
{ The Des Noines Street Railway Is as
|, sessed at 100000. That Is the fig
{ nre the corporation puts on Its plant
tracks, power house, cars and the like
4 a. the worth Of the actual tangible
property. This same corporation when
q suit was started in court by the
4 city to declare Its franchise null and
void. made oath in federal court thai
the value Of its tangible property was
81, O00,0 The problem Of municipas
ownership is looming large on the hor-
lion OF city Affairs in all American
cities and IL corporation knew thai
the city could at any time buy Its
plant for what it Is assessed at i
would put the figure sufficiently high
and pay taxes correspondingly.
What is true OF the corporations is
also true OF individuals as we'll and
property owners would have to value
their homes and real estate at figure
that would protect themselves If the
city determined to purchase a little
real estate. The rich man could ne
more escape Sin that respect
A little investigation OF the matter
1ns disclosed that there are a great
many members of the Des Moines
Commercial club who are ready to 5oir
with the people OF Sioux City and some
other cities in asking that the revision
~ the tax laws provide that monies
1 and credits and personal property bt
not taxes and that mortgages be in
.cluded In the property exempt. They
believe that II all real estate and al
corporation property is taxed at dts rea
worth 1t will be just and equitable Il
al, in fact much more just and equit.
able than under the present arrange
ment.
Under the present law 1t is notorious
I that monies and credits escape taxa.
tion. For instance there Is on deposi
ia this city at nearly all times abou
$4,000, 900 in the banks. and yet thu
monies and credits that the assessor
4lnds amount to not quite s4,o00,0oo
Woodbury. county returns to the as
SCISSOR about 100000 and there is OF
deposit in the banks Of Sioux City s25.
900 900. It was the desire of the Siou,
CITY people to get law that would
exempt monies and credits from taxa
tion that first started the movement il
this state.
Members Of the Des Moines Com
mercial club. especially Mr.. Mack OF
son, have become so deeply interested
in the proposition Of getting the ta'
claws revised that they are working OF
plan for a campaign of education
TO beAcondncted over the entire state
The second week before the primar,
election will be ushered in at De
~ l,fr iy,S saQ