Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-10-21

Hotaro DoNclopmont ana Lower ctauP
ard Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. To securs
q Better System Of Taxation Has
Been Persistent for Fifteen Years.
Frankfort Ky.-(Special)-The eff
forts to secure better system of taxa
ton for Kentucky have been per
sistent for fifteen years but owing to
the ironclad restrictions in the state
constitution 1t is exceedingly difficult
to secure any change.
Tax commissions have repeatedly
been appointed by authority of the
legislatures and these commissions
have unanimously condemned the gen.
eral property tax which was adopted
by the last constitutional convention
and as the law is constitutional 1t has
been impossible for the legislature
alone to repeal It.
However. the last general assembly
undertook to amend the constitution
as provided by law and this amend
ment will have to be ratified by the
people at the November election and
If 1t fails to carry 1t cannot be voted
on again for another I'VE years.
The effect of the present law is to
drive people and money from the state
and to prevent other people and money
from coming in and building up our
industries.
This is how the general property
tax is regarded by outsiders as indi.
Gated in report Of commission APP
pointed in another state and 1t ap-
plies in all respects to our present
tax system.
"The personal property tax is o
farce. 1t falls inevitably upon the
comparatively few who are caught,
The burden 1t imposes upon produc.
ton is out Of all proportion to the
| revenue 1t produces.
Year after year state and local as.
sessing boards have denounced 1t az
impracticable in its workings and un.
| just in Its results. These recon.
mendations have for the most part
passed unheeded or have led to in.
effectual attempts to bolster up the
law. 1t Ia time the situation was
faced sQuarely, and the tax In its
| present form abolished.
so far as the personal property
tax attempts to reach intangible forms
of wealth, its administration Is 80
comical as to have become a byword
Such method of collecting
revenue would be a serious menace
to democratic institutions were 1t moi
SO generally recognized as a bowling
| farce.
But 1t is not a farce to those who
are fully assessed. These are chiefly
the widows and orphans who are
caught when their property Is listed
nj the probate court. farmers, retail
merchants and others, incorporated or
unincorporated, with stocks of goods,
and the small investors who are not
skillful enough to make non-taxable
investments"
The state referred to has changed
its tax system and already the receipts
from taxation have increased enor.
mously and the peculiar effect of Il
has been to lower the taxes on lands
and improvements by securing a great.
er revenue from personal property
which had formerly produced little or
no returns.
Kentucky must increase its revenues
to keep up its schools and public in.
situations and 1t would be manifestly
unfair to make the property at present
paying taxes sustain this added bur
den. but under the present law there
is no other recourse.
| II the amendment carries and the
Legislature is empowered to classify
property so as to bring under the as
personal property now escaping taxa
| ton the revenues can be increased
and taxes on lands and houses dimin
ished and what is more important thar
all We viii be able to develop our re-
sources, maintain our population and
attract capital and people who will
help to build up the state.
Ohio has recently changed its tar
laws and has already been benefited
and Tennessee is about to renounce
the general property tax. Other
states have either long since abolished
II or are preparing to do 80.
The present system in Kentucky was
popular when the country was young
and wealth largely confined 70 real
estate which could not be hidden.
Wealth is now largely in personal
securities which the assessor can not
locate and in consequence this class OF
property escapes almost entirely.