The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-01-07
OF INTEREST TO TAXPAYERS

!: OF INTEREST TO TAXPAYERS
v Pioneer Record E.
This article is for the enlightmen
OF the taxpayers. No man or woman
who pays taxes can afford to pass /
r up, for taxes are as unfailing as tn,
seasons and as relentless as death. l
is your business to know the how
and the why of this tax business, fol
, you pay your cold cash into the tai
fund every year. As matter of fact
. what do you really know about it?
ldaho's tax system is conceded tc
be inequitable, unfair, ubiquitous and
inadequate. 1t is forty years behind
The times, a travesty on revenue leg.
islation. A state official who has Civ
en- the question some consideration
APPLY described the revenue chapter
OF the Idaho code with the one word
rotten
/, Under the Idaho system a very
large. proportion of property escapes
taxation entirely, and 1t is the very
class of property that is best able
to bear the tax burden. 1t is not
the fault of the assessors that it es-
capes, but because the laws are not
adequate to reach it. In the same
4 proportion that property escapes tax
alton the burdens of those who do
pay are unjustly increased. ?
! Uniform valuations are an utter
impossibility under the Idaho sys-
tenn. Today in some counties prop
erty is assessed at not over twenty
per cent of it's true valuation, in some
at thirty per cent and in others at
forty per cent. This means that the
tax burden is unevenly distributed.
! The law declares that all property
shall be assessed at it's full cash valu-
alton. This never has been done, and
1t cannot be done.
The constitution and the statutes
limit the expenditures of the legisla-
ture, of county commissioners. city
councils. village and school trustees
to- a certain percentage of the assess
ed valuation. Assessment at full val
uation would increase the total valu-
ations four fold and this would virtu-
ally remove all restrictions from the
legislature, county commissioners and
other boards and provide an open
uooA W tdSuHCC anu SIdIt, uC
result obviously would be most dis
astrous to the taxpayers, for these
revenue spending bodies would be ant
to go the limit and the people would
be called upon to pay the same old
rate upon four times the present
valuation.
There are certain tax levies arbit-
rarily fixed by statute that would re-
main the same, and If valuations were
increased four fold the taxpayers
would be called upon to pay, under
these levies. between one and two
million dol Ears every year over and
above public needs.
Upon the basis of valuation that |
has been in vogue the legislature has
been able to spend nearly million |
dollars on public buildings during the
past four years. Every day in the |
year. Sundays included. we pay 5000
in interest on our state bonds. Who |
can tel where this thing would end |
if the bonding power of the legisla-
ture were increased four fold?
The county assessors are protecting |
their constituents by violating the
law and assessing upon much lower
basis than that required by the statu-
ties. The assessors reach an un
each year as to the basis,
but they do not adhere to that basis
and the result is that in the various
counties property is assessed all the |
way from 20 to SO per cent on its true
value.
The state board of equalization is
so hedged about bv statutory restric-
lions and limitations that it is power
less to enforce uniform assessments,
or even to properly assess the rail-
roads, telegraph and telephone lines |
in fair and Intelligent way.
: This is only one Of the Delinquent
cies of our revenue system In many
other instances public officials are
to violate the laws in orr
der to protect the public and admin
lister their Offices along rational lines.
Can't you see, Mr.. Taxpayer, that
the official who designated our tax
system as rotten" possessed an un-
erring vocabulary?
4, Governor Brady is deeply concern
ed over the situation and keenly real
ICES that tax reform is one of the
imperative needs of the state. 1t
was with the hope of reaching a solu-
ton of this and other problems that
he called a convention of all of the
county commissioners of the state at
Boise last week. One of the results
Of this convention was the creation
" revenue commission. composed of /,
.hree county commissioners, the gov
'rnor attorney general and state aud
tor. for the purpose of effecting
complete revision of the revenue sys- /.
EN- of the state. This commission is
to investigate the revenue
'ystems of all of the more progressive I.
states and to prepare for Idaho a set !.
If tax laws that will embody the best .
eatures of all and give us fair /.
'quitable and rational system. r.
This commission will report its re- .
concentrations to another meeting of I.
he county commissioners. to be held Z
me year hence. and the proposed leg !.
station will be presented to the leg Z.
pInfr MI ha I<.r 80