Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-12-24
NAMES NOVEL, TAX REPORT.

and may prove helpful to turn our
eyes awey from our own strenuous
situation long enough TO glance at !
remarkable proposition Just made In |
Maine. In 1907 the Legislature OF the |
Pine Trec state appointed commits |
sion 70 investigate the tax problem
az It existed IN that commonwealth |
and TO devise, IL possible, more Just
and equitable system of tsxation on all
Kind. Of property.
Tho commission har just reported,
and its racommcndntion-. which are
radical in tho extreme. and particular
" noteworthy lnasmuch rs the report
gains for Maine the distinction Of be-
ing the first New England state to
seriously conaldcr through vested au-
thority an approximation ot the ia
nous land tax theory OF tho late
Henry George.
The most important and perhap. tho
most interesting conclusion the conf
mission has arrived at I. that the
state tex should IN apnortioncd on
land values alone, no o'her 0ta's ha'
such system o. opp"'N""'"" i''
texcs. ana tie recommended * cer-
tain to receive wlGe attention. Tho
comini ss!onera STATE mat @''si' ono
haN oH the territory OF 'he H'a'c hes
| in unincorporated p.occs ana is taxed
for only state ana county purposes
Approximately the to'a' TAX on 'h'a
property is i've mills on the "olIar'
THIS class II property Is generally
! known as Wild !a"d' me property
owners IN the Incorporated places
where tho average tax rate is - l'a't
20 mills on the dollar or as we would
shy in Vermont -'p cents on inc Hoi''r
OF the grnnd list nave for years r"4'
| that their property was hearing an
! Unjust aud ineouitaoie burden az COM
pared with tho property in unincor-
porated places
The commissioners ma that tne Wild
|
tax than they now %. Jhey say that
no class Of property has Increased as
rapidly in value, In the last 10 years.
having advanced i20 per cent, and the
owners Of this property have during
THIS same period "otainad large an
nual return upon weir investment out
SIDE or the natHiaI increase IN 'a!"e'
ana II Is held that the Sta'e assessors
should nave moro complete KNOW"
Ledge OF the area and Value ~ timber
Iands IN MplHe imam tHcN now nave
no report goes On 20 say 'hht for
years the I-eH'SIe'1fe has bffn trying
10 hhd some methou OF sowing 'A'1
diflcuIt' ana vital problem OF the tax
alton of property In rnincorporatsh
townships ana owners ~ wa lana.
'A'Are their skilled attorneys andinE
constitutional objections TO nearly
every method proposed. Not only have
theE raised legal oo1e'uons' DIX nav"
pIcaoed tha' 70 increase 'he WIG lana
TAX would be 10 denude our forests
Inc commissioners o'scu's TINS ar
snmeht ana re)ect me so-ca'leh
s'n'npase 'a%" Propositions giving as
'he'r reason Tor 1t 'Nat they nave
grave uouh's as 70 IN" constitutional =
NY or s"cn law ana s'ill greater
; oouo's as TO us o'i's successfully
carried out II IT were adopted
rev propoha' 20 nave inc state ADOPT
| moro OF 'hc h'un'''pal fuhc'i0hs su'h
RS to support the schools entirely
build all tn" bridges ard maintain all
'"e roa'S N'erenF increasing INC STARE
tax ana thus reaching The nnincor'
: p"ra'oo 'o"nShip'' II also rejected by
= INC comm S''on'rs oH' auSe 'hcy b.
5 ioVe it would noi tend to distribute
inc ros"4uh6 faVqfS '' 'ho State eqHit'
guy api'"R rae cl'''s anu towns OF 'A'
: H'a'-'
Inc '""''''ssioHer' IN SuoS'ahce re-
, V"''"'''i" I''F'As III" stats revenue
: upon '"' Iand values alone and ALLOW
, 'hS 'ne cues and towns M thoy az
h now TO assess their taxes upon al
Z c'"'s's II property me report Shows
. that IN" SHa'em suFses'Hd would In
crease inc AK on Wild lands from
o cent" per are ValNon AZ -, 10