Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-03-04
TAX SUBJECT OBSERVATION
City Treasurer MinshaII Writes His
Opinions

thougts that occur TO me while collect
I ing taxes for the city. Upon giancing
over the different items 10 be paid af-
I ter the money shall be collected. | ne
tice direct state tax Of So 9Z5 Sc, or
/ aboCt~o one sixth of the amount of our
total taxes, something never before
known to the Oldest of taxpayers, and
am credibly Informed that our state
/ bosses have not levied more than one
I half what they should have levied to
meet their demands. Then ! notice
/ they have also increased the taxes up
on the railroad companies of the state
so that they will have an increase of
/ $500, l6l % over last year, and will pay
this year, 81, 40, go 30. which ought
to be enough alone, to run the affairs
Of our state government, and it would
more than do the act. A few years
ago, before We had so many progress
i've ideas thrust upon Is, back in the
good old times when we had such men
as Rusk, Hoard, and a number Of others
which might be mentioned. when state
board of control visited the different
jails and other public buildings to see
they were kept in sanitary condition,
but did not 90 50 far as to order new
building, when perchance they fourd
with their approval, as was the case
here only few years ago, when they
compelled our county t. build a new
Jail, and would not allow US 10 repair
or remodel the old building, which could
have been done for 81, 600 and saved the
county approaching $40, 900. The old
jail was much better building than
any of the subjects had at their own
homes, ii they had home, yet we had
TO build new one because the bosses
at Madison ordered it,
This is only one of the many cases
where there is too much law, and not
enough justice, and the people must pay
the expense.
| cannot help but notice how our law
makers have changed our assessment
laws until there is no equality in the
levying of taxes Before this great
wave of reform got the better of US,
we used to tax moneys and credits, but
now, we only get tax upon the in
come, which allows all of the small
money lenders to escape taxation, as
their 81 200 exemption will allow them
to have $50 600 loaned out without pay
ing one cent Of tax, but tae fellow who
has his $20, 900 invested 2 either real
or personal property, has TO bear the
burden Here is one case | have in
mind: A gentleman comes IN ard pays
his tax on his home, amounting TO SAL
%; tells me he has no kick coming as
he has Sl4. 600 loaned out upon which
he does bot have to pay cent of tax
/ He is wise enough not TO invest it, be-
cause the moment he does so, he would
haVe to pay seven or eight times the
amount OF tax he does now. And would
! have 10 work his head off to make it
I lie is one OF the wise ones who knows
enough To keep his money loaned out
and let the other fellow do the worry
/ ing
Out of a total of s., III 60 income tax
upon the roll if collect all che cash /
car possibly get, | will collect about
/ 800. the balance is wiped out by per-
/ son Al property tax recaipt, and the wise
ones exempted quite lot of personal
property, claiming that the income tax
would take care of it. But does il?
No. on the contrary man can be worth
S31, 600 and have IL loaned out at 6 per
CT Mt and only have to pay about SAC
tax on his income, but il he had it IN
vested in property and it should be as
sessed at lts full value, he would pay
at bur rate $661 so. Not much differ
ence, is there? But enough so you can
notice IL. Why should we pay S5, 900
to $40, 900 in salaries and all expenses
to men to travel over the state to tell
US just what we have to do, and tomen
that could not command or get over
81 900 at any other calling? How many
of you farmers would be glad to get a
job paying you $1,000 a year and ex-
penses, and give them the use of your
farm, and stock in addition to the use
of your brain and labor? personally.
would be glad to take quite little less,
as | know | could save little money,
which cannot do at present. The as
SCISSOR, clerk and treasurer of this city
are doing the business of this city for
about two per cent and keeping records
to satisfy the state, that are of no prac.
teal benefit, while the lowest estimate
| have read of is l7h per cent for run
ming our state government, and some
claim IS per cent to be the least Why
Is this? Because, as Sturtesant says,
the state is employing too many men
%hO create nothing and, produce moth
ing and practically do nothing except
draw salaries. and he might add, good
large ones at that
We,a as a city. were compelled to install
set Of books few years ago at a
cost of about $500 to keep record of
our waterworks IN such manner as to
be able to report to the bosses at Mad
ison, all of our receipts and expendi-
lures. What for? Just 90 furnish a
job for some one al the eeritoi to check
ia over, and tell US just where 10 pet
off and on at, | suppose they, no doubt,
can compile some valuable statistics
from these records sent in from all over
the state. but the facts are that i. does
not lessen the cost of furnishing the
water, but our city has been compelled
10 RAISE the salary of the clerk on &C
count of the extra work. And they are
wanting to install another system for
all of our city work. another useless
Expenditure. Are not our aldermen as
competent to look after our affairs as
some stranger is, sitting in an easy
chair Mt the capitol? This is only one
of the many items causing the useless
Expenditure of the peoples hard earned
money, which causes us to be taxed
four times as much as we were fifteen
years ago. out of all reason. No one
objects to paying taxes, if they can see
wherein they are benefited. But when
they know that the money is spent in q
reckless manner and that we are EN-.
ploying ten men to do one mans work.
they ought TO kick, and kick hard.
Kick at election time, and take more
fpVawaaf haFnra aiaa4Sn, Gt,I