The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-06-11
Have You Paid Your Auto Tax?

owners OF autos VINO have not yet
provided themselves with 1914 num-
Der plates are being hauled into JUS
tice courts for penalties and the tax
collector is falling upon the just and
unjust alikes Mr.. Howig, in COM
munication to this newspaper, raises
a protest against present methods of
collecting the auto license tax which
are worth considering. HoWig ar
CUES that man who is delinquent in
the payment of other property taxes
is not hauled into court like a law
breaker but penalties are merely as
sessed against him and finally his
property is sold by the sheriff, hence
Howig thinks it an injustice to other
wise reputable citizens to be hauled
into court like felon merely to col
lect an auto license tax.
The comparison is not exact. The
fact that man licensed his auto in
Iowa last year is no assurance that he
still owns that auto, or that it is in
Iowa this year or that it is in running
order. 1t would be useless for the
state to attempt to use last years
registration for tracing or identify
ing cars this year. Furthermore the
number plate on car is intended to
serve as mark of Identification for
anybody and everybody who may be
injured by that car or who may hap
pen to see that car being operated in
violation of law. A last years num-
Der for purposes of identification is
worse than no number at ALL
Nor will the fact that car was
not in use excuse the owner for not
paying tax The auto license, while
it is a license or permit from the
state to operate dangerous engine
upon the public roads and is regis
tered by number so as to identify the
owner and hold him liable for all
damage his engine. may do, is also
collected in lieu of all other taxes
upon that property and the tax is
made due January 1st. If the asses
sor should know that an auto was in
a taxpayers possession on January
with the auto tax license unpaid it
would become the duty of the asses
sor to asses that auto as personal
property and levy the IS mills upon
it's one-fourth value. The auto tax
is due January list, hence owners
who are operating machines five and
six months after that with their Ii
cense unpaid, have very small excuse
for their delinquency, except it be a
misunderstanding of the law. Tax
payers who have withheld any per-
sonal property from the taxation are
hauled into court and assessed for
five years back. Likewise with those
who withhold their auto property
from taxation.
The trouble with the auto license
law is with the cumbersomeness of
collection by the state. Auto taxes
should be paid to the county treasur-
er as all other taxes are paid and
the county official should secure state
number plates from the state depart
ment. He could very easily carry a
few on hand ready to be issued i'm
mediately. The money could then be
forwarded to the state treasurer as
all other state taxes are forwarded.
An immense amount of expense
would be avoided at the state house
for clerical work and auto owners
could step over to the court house
for their license numbers the mo-
ment they bought car. However, it
is the duty Of every citizen to obey
the laws as they are, not as they
ought to be, and the owner of an
auto who has not yet paid his license
should hustle his money to Des
M0ines forthwith. Appearances and
presumption Of evidence 10 against
him ct this late day Marsha Flown