The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1913-01-09

Everett have adopted it for city
taxation. The citizens of Seattle
are to have submitted to them an
! opportunity in March to vote on
the SINGLE TAX proposition, al
though they voted it down last
year by a large majority. In seat
tie every voter may vote on TAX
alton laws as well as to bond the
city, although many do not own
dollars worth of property in the
city, nor expect to pay single DOR
lar of taxes to sustain its expenses.
The floating population of the cities
may eventually be influnced 10
vote for the SINGLE TAX propa-
ganda for this state, thereby max
ing it impracticable for the poor
man ever to own home. 1t may
be cheaper to rent from non-fes-
ident landlord, than it will be to
own, and maintain the expenses Oh
a home with its high cost OF taxes
and maintenance.
The state tax commission is now
composed of only two members, and
there has been presented to them
a most interesting proposition from
Der holders looking to the elimin-
alton of all state and. county taxes
on standing timber in Washington
for sooth because it might burn,
and any way, it does not produce
any revenue while uncut, so the
tax should not be collectible now.
but sometime in the far distant
future, provided that the Argus eyed
tax collector might be able to see
each and every stick of timber as
cut down for use.
The tax commissions report shows
the estimated value based upon
very small per centage OF its well
recognized market value of the
timber and unimproved lands IN
this state to be in round numbers
over one hundred and fifty mil
lions of dollars; and yet. the chair
man of said tax commission has
submitted his personal views in
report to the governor. wherein he
recommends that the legislature
prepare to submit to the vote OF
the people an amendment of the
constitution, so as to permit the
millions of dollars of valuable tim
Der holdings to be Indefinitely o.
mitted from the tax rolls of the
counties and state, and leave TO
the dim and distant future the col
lection of a single dollar of taxes
on said growing timber. His main
argument for such proposal is that
he and all the world knows that
the real values of the vast timber
ed regions are not and cannot be
truly valued by the cruisers who
estimated them for taxa ton pur-
poses, at less than s150,000.000.
The other member of the tax
commission is positive that such
omission from the tax rolls, OF
the vast forests of valuable timber
would be unfair favoritisn in behalf
of the rich owner and against the
owners of the lands not favored
with having valuable timber there
on. He is quoted as saying This
suggestion would. upset the entire
work of the tax commission since
| it's inception. 1t is wrong in theory,
\ it is unfair to the other people who
| pay their full share OF taxes. The
timber owners are not entitled to
tax exemption. In Clallam county
/ for example, seven corporations own
practically all the timber lands. Why
should We wipe out ninety million
dollars Of taxable property in this
state and saddle an annual burden
OF half a million dollars on some
body else?
Does anybody believe that if We
exempted standing timber from tag
alton the state would get its fun
share when the timber was cut?
Does any body believe that We would
be doing anything else than en-
coura ging the big timber barons to
hold their timber and cinch mon
opoly? Taxation of standing tim
Der will not force anybody TO cut
his holdings for it has not done
so in the past. l am decidedly OPP
posed to this scheme and it will
hot be recommended by the tax
commission"
The writer's views on one phase
of this great question of an equi-
table system of taxation for this
state is most cogently exemplified
in a recent brilliant editorial which
says, MANY newspapers in the East
I L. IL b.