The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-10
ASSESSOR HEBER c.
RICH MAKES TALK
ON COUNTY TAXES

view Wednesday afternoon explain
ed why he had made the taxes 81
high for the year ammo domini 1912
The matter has been mentioned WI
think once or twice before in ou
presence during the past year, ant
now that the doors are closed ant
there is a chance for the assesso
to get his breath and look arount
for a moment. we sought admittanc'
to see what information we nigh
get for our readers at first hant
from the chief mogul the man wh'
knows.
Eyes sir, when taxes are high il
a free country like ours where thu
people rule, there are reasons for it.
said Mr.. Rich. would you like tt
know what are the reasons? Wei
give me careful attention and see
that you remember correctly what
say for it is very annoying to be mis-
quoted. No, | am not finding any
fault, l give you credit for making
good on what you claim for YOU
newspaper that it is the most reli
able. "
ITO begin at the beginning, Bing
ham county was divided and Bonne
vile should have paid us $4,000 tc
help us pay the Indebtedness. Bu'
they denied owing us that amount
and resisted payment, leaving it tc
the courts to fix the amount. The
court sustained our claim and we ex
pect to receive the money in course
of time. But we have that load tC
carry until such time as it is paid.
"The people on the Carey lands
in this county contended that they
should not be taxed until they act.
ually received their deeds from the
government, and we received nc
money from that source. But the
courts have decided that they must
pay, and we have that money coming
together with the added penalties. ,
During the year 1911 our tax
matters were much disturbed if you
remember, and it was hard to tel,
just how to adjust the levies, and we
lacked $4,000 of collecting enough
money for current expenses. That
burden had to be met in the levy for
the past year
"Our governor called an extra
session of the legislature last winter
and that cost some money that the
people of the state were called upon
to pay. The demands on Bingham
county for state taxes in 1912
were $4,000 more than they were
in 1911"
I'VE have always had an exempt
ion for resident widows and old
soldiers, and these exemptions have
been readjusted, making them more
liberal than before, and you would be
surprised to see how many resident
widows and old soldiers have come
to light under the new exemptions
and under the great hue and cry OF
high taxes. All of them are taking
advantage of everything they can,
and of course all that has to be laid
upon the shoulders of the others. y
There are many farmers in our
county, and the last legislature pro-
vided for an exemption for the small
farmer and the new settler whose i'm
provements were meager. It means
that the man whose farm implements
are not worth more than $400, pays
nothing on that item. If his i'm
provements do not exceed $500 he
pays nothing for them. That also
applies to small homes in general.
For example. Mr.. Farley p. Black
burn who lives out by the fair
grounds. has lots worth 500 and a
house valued in 1911 at $500. He
paid taxes on 5000 that year, but in
1912 his improvements, that is, the
house became exempt. The lot val
ued at 800 was levied against at 40
percent of its value, so Mr.. Black
burn paid on $40 for 1912 instead
of $500 as in 1911 Now when peo-
pie read that the legislature was pre-
pairing an exemption law for the re-
lief OF the poor man or the man Of
moderate means, they regarded it as
a good measure for each man thinks
he is poor or a man of moderate
means in such an instance. But
in proportion as the measure gave
relief to the man like the case men
toned, 1t had to be laid more heavily
upon somebody else whose posses
sions rated somewhere above the line
of demarkation laid down by the leg
islature in framing the law. If you
were the assessor and collector you
would be surprised to find how
many people there are in this county
who come within the meaning Of