The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1912-10-05
The TAX SYSTEM.
/, Commission Studied subject
ENhausllvcly \ Plan just
and Equitable
rs Senator A / Barrow. M'mhe
state Tax tnmmiFHion

] Us senator harrow. W''h'" !
state Tax tommiW'on
I,yct since state HoEcinnenie have
j hrcn tn,m"I, nnd required iundH 'n'
! thrtr nntntrnnnce. there have been
muttc,lnga and c,nmhllnEa about VIII"
shall not Ruprly the needed funds,
and about who PAYS aud who shitkN
The rn, men, If these taxes.
Ii,4a knott, aud d,pnprc.ahlc qn'a
anon from n,n,ly every viewpoint. aud
/ there - not much dtaru,c about that
among thaec who have cNret'cncea
th, iad. tn> paying t'me '"m"s
around ,trhi quickly aud Is mighty
unuclcumc when il doea come.
There IL nIvn,e tacling oi r'so"'
ncut about paving taxes, even among
ia, most patriotic citizens, though u
moment y reflection VIII compel the
realization that taxes nus' he GhlI'ci
Cd for tho maintenance nt the govern
ntcnt aud that Good EnNctnmfht
gtnula lot tltv protection ~ our homes
aud our ,tghta ~ citizens
The uuca,inn IT taxation hna Ire
uucuily played an important part ~
! the history OF nationR, the French ~
yolutinn. in, instance, which changed
tho lnrm If government IN Franc" "n
trcly vaa rnupcd largely hy unequal
taxation. and the plirklng OF d"iElng
| Of taxes l,y tho mobility or larg" prop
rri, owners, and The history ~ taxa
ton. through nll ages aud IN Al ro"n
ir,ca. reveals the fact that unlcas the
question OF taxnti,n is Cuuitably and
mgti, aetilod there can he no pcImn
ucut peace or content IN any country
''1uat,rc heg,ns here aud II cannot b".
| gin any here clac.
Invcaiiratinn of our present system
of TAXATION reveals such ~ positive W."
lniion oi the frat great canon ~ 'aS"
ton i. = equality that It ~ hnrdlN y
neceusn,, for ua to 20 further to nw"k
en- To- u tall knowledge that something
muat he done tu adjust these great IN
cuuali'iea
Property ,a paying taxes on vn'ua
iionp ranging from 70 pes cent. u
nearly 100 per cent o' the actual mar
kct value, 40 that property ~ aom'
localities IL paving five times M muc'
tasca as theirs. aud thus bearing tive
times the burden of others,
No doubt cnsca could hc found o
property crosaiug the division line be
tween two pnriahca where the part |,
one parish - paving on d'ttc'cn
basis from The other. although botl
uarin are oi the snme actual value.
Irall property could hc assessed n
u yaluc that would represent iacia ant
not fiction. or # the assessment hrut'
represented fixed per cent. OF tIa
real valuc then the question nigh
rrcacni some possibilities ot solutio,
under ~, present aya,rm, hut Il u !
demonstrated fact that all such effort
in every state. has ended IN failure
Even in our State. where we know
that We have Board Of Equalizer
composed OF wen well equipped 10 sc
cure the hrst results. they have ha'
an uphill work. and while II IL tru'
! thn, they have done great work, Ills
covered and rcmcdied many incuuali
! ties. still, thn, work under our prcscn
ayRicm is well nigh impossible.
The Yceul In that the great hmrdc'
oi taxation st,ll continues so gr"y
tprnportionnt.l " lesa on the owner u
, property Of large valuation, while
II slowly but surely being shifted
with increasing weight. tn the ah"hl
dcrs OF The small property owner VIII
is so much less able to bear the bur
den.
The Tax Commission in prcsentin
these amendments. have tried +
work nut plan which will make al
forms OF tax -dodging an impossibility
they havc tried the plan which the
now offer to present the best metho
Of distributing the burden Of taxatio
cuuitahly on all.
We all certainly agree that our pre-
4 sent systcm or method Of taxation
. rectivc. for we must ncknOwledg
that n, prcseut we do not place th
burden so that IL is properly an
cuulahly distributed.
With such acknowledgement Il ccI
taiuly appears that the time Is ripe 10
z u change. to sock a remedy and Civ
9 ear to the cry of distress that Ia bain
: sent up by the bearers of the burie,
the small property owners and to nc
/ lust things SO that the Big fello'
e will have to tote fair with his it'll
! brother.
! The Big fellow ia now advancin
: the argument, or rather statement
z that II IL mighty risky and DARN
thing To do, to sweep away IN 'e'
months n Tax System under which "
6 have been operating for over hur
! drcd wears, and put in its place wins
!, they are pleased to call theoretics
, plnn. such argument might prove ~
q duc,ivc, it true, but as stated before
the plan offered has been in saccesait
r operation in such progressive State
: ~ New York, New Jersey, Pennsylv'
mia Connecticut, Vermont. ohio, Wi
- consin. Minnesota, Oregon. and Gal
:, foruia, with many other States no
agilating the question.
The plans of all the States ha,
been closely studied and from the
have been selected what seemed be
nrpltcuhlc to Louisiana; the result
thnt work IL now offered in the Amen
mcn,e which the Legislature, In Ext
Session, recently adopted, and whie
will be presented to the people Il
their adoption or rejection, as thu
" aep fiji. in the November election.
u THIS plan Of separation, II adopte
RS will give To each community comp'e
-. home rule, absolute control OF the
: owuentiairs a right and an oppor'ur
T. Is for every taxpayer 10 keep 'ta'
i, on all collections aud expenditures
each parish, and when collections a
in excess of needs. the taxpayers G
" aupcar before the Police Jury and
" cure the correct reduction in tax
T. Thus. nj all times they may be in cle
>, touch with the why's and wherefore
= of the taxes which they have to ~
II Is not claimed that in this pl