Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-01-30
TOCHANGE TAXLAWS.
UNIFORM TAX LAWS UP AT NEXT
ELECTION.
Equal Rate Under Same Act Proposed
For All Property. y Constitution.
al Amendment Will be Submitted
to the Voters at the November
Election.

10 inc VOIerS al INC november
Election.
Taxation in Washington state will
be revolutionized if the voters at the
election next November adopt a con-
stitutional amendment then to be
submitted.
This amendment proposes to strike
from article VII. of the state consti-
tuition all of sections l., 2, and 4,
and insert in lieu thereof the follow
ing, to be known as section /:
Section 1.-The power of taxation
shall never be surrendered, suspend
ed or contracted away. Taxes shall
be uniform upon the same class Of
subjects and shall be levied and COL
lected for public purposes. The
property of the United States and of
the state, counties, school districts
and other municipal corporations
and personal property to the amount
of $500 for each head of a family,
, liable to assessment and taxation un-
der the provisions of the laws of this
state of which the individual is the
actual bona fide owner shall be eX-
empt from taxation"
Under the present constitution a
uniform and equal rate of assess
ment and taxation is required on all
property in the state, according to it's
value in money.
| Under the proposed amendment the
legislature could have one system of
taxation for real estate owned by in
dividuals, another system for real
estate owned by corporations, an
other for railroads and other public
service corporations and still lanother
for example, for notes, mortgages,
bonds and moneys.
The proposed constitutional amend
ment is advocated by the state tax
commission. Briefly, the argument
for it is this: That a number of
other states, notably New York and
Wisconsin, have adopted this change
taxing railroads and other public
service corporations a fixed percent
age upon their gross earnings in
stead of taxing them as they are
taxed in this state by assessment and
levy. 1t is claimed that by this plan
friction is eliminated and railroads
and other public service corporations
are taxed uniformly, while under the
\present method they may be taxed on
many different bases by as many diff
ferent county assessors.
r. D. Rockwell of the state tax
commission at the recent convention
of county assessors at North Yakima
advocated the proposed amendment
and suggested that under it tax of
a of l per cent, for example, be laid
on money in hand and in bank.
1t is further argued that under this
plan owners of money, notes. bonds,
mortgages and other forms of indebt-
edness would willingly pay a low
tax of that extent, and thus the
state would derive considerable rev.
enue, whereas under the present con-
stitution payment of taxes on these
credits is evaded.
On the other hand it is pointed out
that under the proposed amendment
there would be danger of the rail-
roads and other big public service
corporations exerting such pressure
upon the legislature and public Off
cials as would relieve them from
large part of the burden they are
now compelled to bear by pressure of
public sentiment.
If the proposed constitutional
amendment should carry next Nov
ember, the members of the state tax
commission have intimated pur-
pose to go before the legislature and
urge the passage Of the law which
would limit the payment Of taxes by
railroads and other public service
corporations to state taxes only. This
! would take from the different coun-
ties, cities and school districts the
present power Of taxing the public
service corporations for county, city
and school purposes.
Sections /, 2, 8 and of the pres
ent constitution, which would be re-
pealed If the proposed constitutional
amendment should be adopted, are as
follows:
Section 1. All property in the
state, not exempt under the laws of
the United States, or under this con-
stitution, shall be taxed in proportion
to its value, to be ascertained as pro-
! vided by law. The legislature shall