Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-24
no other property should pay tax
upon that valuation.

no other property should pay a TAX
upon that valuation.
Gentlemen, this uniform tax meas
ure works an injustice to the poor man
After all, when we want to equallZe
taxation it is seen at once that it IL
the poor man who pays the taxes Put
the rate at anything you please. 1t is
he who pays the house rent: and any
| real estate owner or property owner
knows that he himself does not pay
the tax which is assessed by this State
or by the municipalities of this State
but that the tax is paid by the poor
man. This bill also violates another
principle which it seems to me Is
wrong. 1t interferes with the right of
local self government. For years the
municipalities Of this State have been
fixing the rate of taxation to suit their
own needs: and. gentlemen. it seems
to me that the Legislature is taking
upon itself an unwarranted authority
when it proceeds to state what these
municipalities shall fix as a tax rate.
In addition to that, Mr.. Speaker, It
seems to me that the members of this
House when they vote upon this meas
urc should consider that to increaS"
the tax rate, as it will be increased
in IS towns of this State. one dollar.
means something to the man who IS
trying to keep his family together ana
to support them and send his chldren
to school and give them proper edu-
cation 1t was said in the Senate that
if this amount seemed to be too great
the man who was oppressed Dy ~
might appeal to the municipal o1lccf5
and have it related. But. gentlemen.
there are many poor men IN TINS Stale'
self respecting men, who are making
an effort to educate their children ana
TO give to their families those adVdn-
tages which other people ENJOY, VINO
would feel humlitated if they were
obliged to go to the municipal officers
and ask to have this tax rcbated; and
MANY of them would not do it. the
amount seems small. | know, the in
crease seems small. and it is only right
and Just that any man who enjoys the
value of franchise should pay some
thing for it: but the statutes now fix
if at ANYTHING between one dollar and
three dollars.
1t has been said that one reason for
a uniform tax rate is that some city
or town has a poll tax of three dollars
and the town adjacent to it has poll
tax of two dollars. and that when 1t
comes to a levy of the assessment the
man moves from the three dollar town
into the two dollar town in order 70
escape the payment of the extra dollar.
I want to say that in my opinion that
town is fortunate and is to be con-
graduated which loses a citizen VINO
moves from it into another town in
order to save the payment of one dol
lar.
I hope the motion to indefinitely
postpone this bill will prevail.
Mr.. ROUNDS of Portland: Mr.
Speaker. I come from place where
two years ago the poll tax was So.
In the wisdom of the city government
of that place it was changed to 81
and want to say right here that when
it was changed the tax was reduced
from S25 down to $2160, and it has
been reduced down to $50 on a thou
sand. Now there are many poor people
in Portland. We have lots of that
kind of people who would not 60 to the
assessors and ask to have their tax re-
hated, but on the other hand they go
on and try to pay it, pay little at a
time, and they have hard work to get
the 81 paid and if they don't pay il
tho constable comes round and they
find that they get their tax TO such a
large amount that they cannot pay;
and our city sinking fund today is
mostly made up of uncollected poll
taxes and we haven't got cent of