Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1911-01-26
Our Remedy in Kentucky.


Our Remedy in Kentucky.
But We are not al liberty I'm the State
of kentucky TO adopt any Of the meth
DDS that have afforded relief To other
States. because Of the restriction y"
upon our Legislature by the constitution
nj the State We are tied hand and foo.
to the general property tax system.
do not believe in criticising wlthou
proposing a remedy 1t is not .propos''
that there should be any sudden and
radical change of the revenue system
Immediately upon the adoption OF the
proposed amendment To the Constitution
of the State. If the Legislature proposes
the amendment To the constitution AN
the people ratify it AT the polls the re-
suit up to that point will be merely tia
the Legislf'ure is put in position
our tax system The amendment does
not mean must" 1t means may"
1t is wise the Legislature will revise
slowly The government must go on.
Revenue must be had Revision must
b. cautious. 1t should preferably be as
sisted by tax commission gathering in
formation for the Legislature to act
upon. II should be- along a consistent
line designed to end in n system under
which the sources of revenue shall i
classified. certain property being taXod
poses only; other property for Municipal
purposes and for Municipal purposes
only; still other property for County
purposes and for County purposes only
some purpose ana for one purpose only,
that rate being as fairly possible ad-
iusted to the normal income from prop
orty of that class and collected by the
method that will yield the largest re-
turns
THAT is the proposition in a nutshell.
It is not theory It is being successfully
done. Fourteen States have now so
shaped their constitutions that they may
do it, And at every step of the progress
from the old method to the new, {
work would be in the hands of t.
chosen Representatives of the people.
The Goal To Be Reached.
The formulating of the new system
and the working out of its details shou
be done most cautiously, but always
with view to finally reaching a point
where the state would raise its entire
revenues from one class of property
the Counties from another class of
property. and the Cities from still an.
other. Under such "A system when COM
pletely in effect. farming lands would
be taxed only for local purposes. They
should not pay cent of tax for State
purposes No kind of property taxed for
State purposes should be taxed for local
purposes, and none taxed for County or
city purposes should be taxed for State
purposes.
BY this separation of sources of revenue,
We avoid that piling up of one tax rate
on another which makes the burden so
heavy in Kentucky. and by this classify
ing Of property according to Its capacity
for standing tax prOportionate to the
income II yields. We remove the incen-
tive which our present system furnishes
10 differentiation and evasion and per-
jury.
tried system. This system has been fol-
lowed and is being followed successful
elsewhere. There is no reason why 1t
should not prove equally Successful in
Kentucky. n holds out the hope OF re-
lief.
! trust I have made II plain that tax
revision does not mean exemption for
anybody. 1t means merely a fair appor-
tionment Of the burden as to kinds OF
property. 1t means an abandonment OF
a systen that promises Ideal uniformi,
in theory, but in practice has resulted
In the grossest uRfairness to all visible
forms Of properly and the practical ex-
emptson Of millions. 1t means pAring
in the hands of the Legislature the power
* vary the rate and the method at all
times to suit changed and changing
forms of property, so that IL property
will not stand to be taxed by one met cd
we NAV reach 1t by another: and so that
IL one rate Is found too high for q class
of property (having reference to q in
come that property yieltsi difSksen t
larger revenue as well as of fairness So
that in short we may be free to deal
with a question of such Importance at
all times as any business man won
deal With the constantly RECURRING prob
lens IN his business life, chaNgmg III
methods to take advantage of his own
experience and the experience of others,
ard of all of the information lac San get
a the subject.