The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-01-01
DISTRICT OFFICERS LEVY TOO
MUCH TRIBUTE.
The Increase is Running From $4,000
to $4,000 Per county-Taxes
Should Have Been Lower.

Topeka-The state tax commission,
In its report to the legislature, will
censure tax officers of the state for
levying more tribute from the tax
payers than they should during the
past year. All told, the commissioners
believe that over 100000 more have
been raised by taxation than 1t was
contemplated should be raised. Most
of the excess tribute was levied by
school district officers. These officers
are not accused of wantonly doing 1t,
but of carelessness. II they have not
dissipated the revenues, they should
be in position next year to get through
on al extremely small levy.
Didn't Figure Closely.
"The tax officers had no idea, 1t
seems, what an additional mill levy,
for instance, meant on the new assess
ment," said S. c. drummer, tax COM
missioner. "Thep don't stop to figure
1t out closely. Very few of them
split their levies into a fraction of a
mill. Where one mill wouldn't raise
enough they simply added another
mill instead of a fraction of a mill
AS result they have raised more
money than the purposes demanded.
AS near as | can figure with statistics
at hand the school districts alone
raised $1,000,000 more this time than
bn n
crease is running from $4,000 to
$4,000 per county"
Had the special session of the leg
islature last year followed. the recon-
there would be no excessive tax
levies to report. The commissioners
urged the enactment of a law that
would prohibit taxing officers from
raising any more money during the
year than they did for the year be-
fore That would have kept the reve-
nues about where they were before.
But the 165 members or the legisla-
ture thought their combined wisdom
was greater than that of the tax COM
missioners on this subject, so they
enacted a law limiting the increase to
2 per cent above the maximum amount
that could be raised under the levies
Of the old law.
Levied Per Cent More.
1t happens that most of the school
districts, esecially, had not levied up
to the maximum the year before. Two
per cent increase on what they levied
would have been all right. But they
did not do that. They levied 2 per
cent more than the, maximum fixed
by the old law, which in many in
stances was so per cent more than
the taxes of the year before. That is
how it happens that he people are
called upon to pay S1,OO0,000 more for
maintaining their public institutions
including schools, this year than they
paid last.
The state tax is 100000 less this
year than last and if the local taxing
officers had shown the same business
Judgment that the state taxing officers
did the peoples taxes would be much
lower this year. AS it is, the taxes on
individuals, as a rule, are not much
higher. Perhaps they are less on hall
the individuals on account of read
justment of values and also owing to
the fact that the state tax commission
put about $3OO,OO0,OOO of property on
the rolls that had escaped taxation be-
fore. However, had the tax business
worked out as it should everybody's
taxes, except the tax dodger, would
have been much lower.
Curb Tax Officers.
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Stubs Investigating School Situa