The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-07-23
Reports to Municipa! Research
Bureau That This Conclus-
ion Is Reached After an In
vestigation.
TAX DODGER CALLED
A SHlRKER OF DUTY

VII suO uSVHOs$y wv sUJ
Cheats Fellows But Be-
comes a Periurer.
At a meeting Of the Bureau Of Mu-
nicipal Research held Wednesday ~
ening, n. C. Heironimus and Timothy
Nicholson. the committee on delin-
quent taxes. submitted their report,
which after few minor changes was
approved by the bureau. The report
showed many taxes delinquent.
This committee will now become &C.
tive in learning remedies for delin-
quencies and will report to the bureau.
At the next meeting the COMMITTEES on
account and inventory. of which w. D.
Foulke is chairman, will make its re-
port.
The report of the committee on de-
linquent taxes as finally adopted u
as follows:
Report Of Committee.
Your committee on delinquent
taxes submits the following report:
Further work on the delinquent lists
for the city OF Richmond confirms the
belief that there Is something radical
ly wrong in our system Of taxation.
or In the people who are taxed. And
while 1t may be aside from the work
assigned, the committee wishes to ex-
press an opinion that the gravest mis-
take lies back OF the delinquent list
In the assessment rolls. The man who
neElects or refuses to pay the tszIl4
levied against him ahirks duty ho
owes the state. true enough. but he
who gives false returns Of his proper
ty to the assessor. not only shirks this
duty, but commits perjury. \ the
business and professional men of the
city are SO nearly destitute Of cash on
hand. money on the bank. or other re-
sources. as is shown by the assess-
ment rolls, 1t Is surprising that there
Is not widespread destitution.
ITO your committee II Is almost un-
believeable that the majority Of our
citizens who rank as wealthy, or at
least well to Go, have no ready money,
no bank deposits, no accounts due:
them, in short absolutely no means Of
present subsistence. And while there
may be wide variations Of opinions =
to the value or household effects. u
seems little IL any short Of intent %
defraud for citizens with well furnish
ed homes in the best section Of the
city, to put total valuation Of less.
than two hundred dollars, and often
less than one hundred on their house
hold goods-many OF them no doubt
paying more than that for single
pieces of furniture.
Will be Widely Read.
The publication Of the financial
status OF SOME Of our substantial citt-
zens as shown by their sworn state
, ments to the assessor, would no doubt
prove fully AZ interesting - tho HIST
| OF those who refuse to pay taxes -
| sessed. It might be well for the Bur
eau to appoint a committee to investi-
gate and make public glaring Unequal
tiles In assessments and to suggest
remedies. II possible 3 comparison ok
valuation made to the Assessor with
the amount of insurance carried on
the same property would b worth
while.
Returning to the matter of deIIn-
quent taxes your COMMITTEES finds but
little change Of conditiors sincs the
last report. Ar was shown III that
report seyenty-seven different persons
or firms each owed more than so
taxes for 1908. Up to July is. 1910,
but five Of these had paid. seventy
two accounts still standing. OF this
latter number. nine had paid their
1909 taxes, evidently ignoring old -
counts The others excepting parties
deceased or removed from the city,
owed for both years.
The books for 1909 taxes show
about the usual list OF deiinquents,
and II we may judge from former
years but few Of these will ever gfvo
attention to notices from the treasuK-
er. Eighty-two accounts for 1909
taxes Of more than so each are On
this unpaid list.
In the opinion Of your committee
the most available remedy for this m
satisfactory condition would b 1aw
disfranchising al1 men who owe taxes.
| No representation without taxAGiony
4