River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1908-05-07

is in the state property the total assessed valuation
of ST. $50 900 O0O raise $2,500,000 year, $780,
100000 in ten years, would require two mill tax up
this property; a twomill tax applied to all the
property of Illinois at the present assessed
valuation land taking into account the possible in
crease in value thereby would produce the sum re-
CURED.
The records show that the taxing value of an
average in the belt of Illinois is
than $4,000, the actual value being approx
matey $4,000. two-ml state tax on this farm as
sessed the value of $4,000 would be exactly 81
year and more, and in ten years the state tax
would be $40 which would be the farms proportion OF
the $250OO,0O total Where this farm would pay $40.
single corporation in the city Of Chicago would
have to pay $4,000, another $4,000, and the rail-
ways of the state millions of dollars Thus
by state levy of two mills for ten onehalf
$5OOOO 900 is provided The other half
be raised by local taxation or by bond issue.
Let assume that the township in which the farm
in question located bonds the full consu.
tionaI limit that is, into debt just far it
go pays the highest interest that the law per-
ms it pay. The limit of the bond issue is five per
of the assessed valuation, the of bonds
resting upon would be FIVE per $4,000.
exactly $00 payable onetenth each year, with in
terest at per cent The total interest this bond
issue, far this farm is concerned, for the ten
years would be $3.50.
Thus if we add the bonds. .......... 500. 90
Interest bonds. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81. so
And the state tax of................. 400
We have total the farm OF .$167. so
which exactly the amount of the tax that would be
levied and collected upon this for state aid
and TO pay off the bonds and interest This amount
is about 1917 cents per year and the total
charge against for the whole ten years would
be s1O5 per acre This amount Of money paid by the
farm under the aid plan would enable the state
to expend $5O,O000OO upon it's highways and the
penditure of that would add to the value Of farm
nroperty at least and probably ten times as much
as the respective would be taxed In order pay
the bill.
In Illinois less than onethird Of the property Of
the state represented by farms Under the present
pan 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 been tried and the who first
oppose it are its strongest advocates 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; the are used for
Iyering the and their necessities are such that
the delivery products should regularly and
promptly made-and good roads are necessary to
compsh ths-it only fair that the residents Of
the towns and cities should contribute building the
roads and they in fact seldom object to doing
The above example OF the Illinois farm and how II
would be affected by taxation under aid would
apply generally state the Mississippi valley
In poorer parts of the country where the land Is
less fertile the state tax would be CORRESPONDENCE
less in fact the southern part of Illinois the tax
a 160acre farm, instead of being four dollars year,
in many cases would dollar dollar and
a burden is measured by the ability Of the
people to pay 1t. Copyright 1905 by Wright PatssrsOn>