The Oskaloosa herald., 1913-02-27
STATE REVENUE
BILL DRAFT TED
MEASURE TO CREATE PERMAN.
EMIT TAX COMMISSION.
COUNTY ASSESSOR is PROVIDED
Commission to Consist Of Three Mem
bers to be Appointed by the Gov.
ernor and to Have Power to
Equslize All Taxes.

DeS Moines, Feb. 25.-The joint
committee on state revenue reform
appointed by the senate and house
ways and means committees, has
completed draft of New Tax Law
which is now being typed and will be
ready TO report to the main commit
tee Immediately after the vacation.
This bill will provide for the crea-
Ition of permanent tax commission
of three members TO be appointed by
the governor, one for a term of two
years, another for four and a third for
six years, a member TO be appointed
for six years every biennial period
thereafter. These men are TO devote
their entire time to the work OF the
commission and receive salary of
So, 900 per year.
The commission is to be given the
lpower to equaliZe taxes between
counties and to raise and lower assess
ments in counties, from which there
is no appeal. They may increase val
uations on farm lands, personal prop
erty, ETC., in any county or may re
quire them to be raised in all.
! With a view of compelling equality
Throughout the entire county, as be-
tween townships, a county assessor is
to be provided. Following up the
theory OF the state tax commission,
which is to take the taxation power
from the executive body (the eXecu-
tive counciD of the state and vesting
1t in an appointive self-perpetuating
body, the application is made to coun-
ties. The measure provides that the
county assessor shall not be elected,
but appointed by the board of super
Visors, county auditor and county re-
corGer. Some members of the sub
committee favor the election of the
county assessor.
Another feature of the bill on which
there is yet a difference of opinion
and which may be the cause for a mi
nority report to be filed is with refer
ence to the taxation of moneys and
credits. The section with reference
to this kind of property as now writ
ten leaves it to be taxed on the basis
of five mill levy as at present
mittee who urge that if the purpose
of the proposed Permanent Tax Com
mission be to bring about an equality
Iof taxes by requiring fun valuation OF
all property that money should be
made to stand its share of the tax bur
den just the same as real property and
other personal property. This phase
of the question has in fact been the
stumbling block in the committee for
some time, and the section referring
to it has not as yet been definitely
passed upon, but has been drafted.
| This may be the place for the divid-
ling of the ways by the committee
members. On il may hinge two re-
ports.
Since the study of the plan was
commenced, it is authoritatively stat
| ed, some members of the sub-commit-
tee have become convinced that a
Permanent Tax Commission will not
solve the revenue question in Iowa
and they will oppose the measure on
the floor of the assembly when it
reaches there.
The members Of the subcommittee
expected to report out the revenue
| bill March 6 or 7 are:
Representatives Jacobs, Huff, Hunt
Erickson, Cro2ier, Scholz, Hanson.
Senators Allen, Farr, Cowles, Do
ran, Clarkson, Francis Weber.
The tax bill as originally drawn by
the Legislative Commission provided
in so many words that only experts
on the question of taxation should be
named on the board. The present bill
will be so framed that men of practi-
cal knowledge and experience will be
placed upon it.
With the bill yet unreported in the
committee numerous protests have
commenced to arrive to members
against the creation of any such COM
mission. Monday a flood of such pc.
titions came in including one signed
by large number of members of the
Corn Belt Meat Producers AssOcla-
Ition.