The Tupelo journal., 1908-05-08

is in the state property to the total assessed valuation
of 81. 100000 900. To raise 100000 a year, or $685.
0,CO0 in ten years, would require a two mill tax up
on this property; so a two-mil tax applied to all the
property of the state Of Illinois at the present assessed
valuation land not taking into account the possible in
crease in value thereof would produce the sum re-
quired.
The records show that the taxing value of an
average 100 acre farm in the corn belt of Illinois is a
little less than $4,000, the actual value being approx
mately $4,000. A two-mill state tax on this farm as
sessed on the value of 1000 would be exactly 81 a
year and no more, and in ten years the state tax
would be $40, which would be the farms proportion of
the $25. 000,0 900 total. Where this farm would pay $40.
one single corporation in the city of Chicago would
have to pay $4,000, another $780, 00, and the rail-
ways OF the state over two millions Of dollars. Thus we
see by a state levy of two mills for ten years, one-half
of the $50, 900, 900 is provided for. The other half must
be raised by local taxation or by a bond issue.
Let us assume that the township in which the farm
in question is located votes bonds to the full constitu-
tonal limit, that is, goes into debt just as far as It
can go and pays the highest interest that the law per.
mits it to pay. The limit of the bond issue is five per
cent. of the assessed valuation, so the amount of bonds
resting upon the farm would be five per cent. of So. 900,
or exactly 500. payable one-tenth each year, with in
terest at five per cent. The total interest on this bond
issue, so far as this farm is concerned, for the ten
years would be $27.5O.
Thus, If We add the bonds. ........... 500. 90 .
Interest on bonds. 80
And the state tax f.................. 40. 90
We have a total tax on the farm of. $751; so
WhkSA 40 "A III VI IN d ludL WOu n a
levied and collected upon this farm for both state aid
and to pay of the road bonds and interest. This amount
is about 10h cents per acre per year and the total
charge against the farm for the whole ten years would
be $105 per acre. This amount Of money paid by the
farm under the state aid plan would enable the state
to expend $50, 100000 upon its highways, and the ex-
%penditure of that sum would add to the value of farm
property at least five and probably ten times as much
as the respective farms would be taxed in order to nav
the bill:
In Illinois less than one-third Of the property of
the state is represented by farms. Under the present
plan twothirds of the property Of the state escapes
taxation for road purposes. The state aid plan is
equitable, successful and has proven popular in every
state where it has been tried, and the farmers who first
oppose it are soon it's strongest advocates and can be
found upon the firing line every year asking for in
creased appropriations to build the roads.
The residents Of the towns and cities must live
upon the farm products; as the roads are used for de-
hvering the same and their necessities are such that
the delivery Of these products should be regularly and
promptly made-and good roads are necessary to &C.
complsh this-it seems only fair that the residents Of
the towns and cities should contribute to building the
roads, and they in fact seldom object to doing so.
The above example of the Illinois farm and how It
would be affected by taxation under state aid would
In the poorer parts of the country where the land is
less fertile, the state tax would be correspondingly
less. in fact in the southern part of Illinois the tax on
a 160-acre farm, instead Of being four dollars a year,
in many cases would not exceed a dollar to a dollar and
q half. So the burden Is measured by the ability of The
people to pay 1t. Copyright. lNs, by Wright \ Patsesoal