The true Democrat., 1914-07-04
AND TAX REFORM.

Lake Charles American-Press:
The Louisiana legislature within the
past two weeks seems to have deter
mined to kill every measure before it
that involves a change in the present
methods of government, so that Gov
|ernor Halls appeal for the passage of
the assessment and tax reform bills
now pending, stirring as he made it,
will probably fall upon deaf ears.
The chief excuse for it's non passage
is that the new method of assessment
will raise taxes" The adoption OF
the plan proposed does not necessarily
involve an increase of taxes, but does
provide more equitable way of dis
tributing the increase whenever an in.
crease is necessary. Whether the leg
islature adopts the new method Of as
sessment or not, the state of Louisi-
ana will require, and must be provided
with, more money to conduct it's edu-
Unless it obtains more money within
a few years, insane people will be kept
in jails, among criminals; poor people
who are i'll will die for lack of the ex-
pert medical attention the state now
gives free; the schools will be Grip
pied and the education of the youth
hampered because the state can not
afford to continue it's appropriation of
a million dollars for common school
education and the higher educational
institutions which are now being built
up to the standard of efficiency attain
ed in other state will slide down in the
scale again That is what lack of
sufficient revenue will mean.
If it becomes necessary to raise
more revenue, the state can obtain 1t
in various ways, without bothering the.
assessment rate, although such meth
DDS of raising revenue are never so
pleasant nor effective as the levying
of statewide tax When it comes to
the pinch, and the need of more money
for the state is brought home to the
taxpayers, they will authorize an in
crease of the state rate of taxation.
The change in the plan of assessing
taxes will have nothing whatever to do
with the creation of this need or with
the manner OF supplying it. The ques-
tion for the taxpayer to consider.
therefore, is, which is the fairest basis
OF assessment, the one we now have
or the one proposed by the Butler bill.
The proposed law provides, just as
the present law provides, that all prop
erty shall be assessed at it's full cash
value. 1t also provides a state COM
mission to see that the assessors place
1t as full cash value, which none of
them do now. The first step to en-
courage tax lodging is. the departure
from the full cash valuation as basis
for assessing taxes Under the law as
1t stands, your $1,000 home, let us say.
is assessed at $500. Your neighbor's
home of equal value may be assessed
at $300, but you have no chance to
object; you are tax dodger yourself
in the strict application of the term.
Under the proposed law, your property
is put down on the books at just what
1t is WORTH $1,000 The assessor must
put down your neighbor's home at
$1,000 also; he has no chance to show
your neighbor special favors over you.
Under the new law each political
division is allowed to base it's levy
upon the percentage that will supply
it's needs. The state might take 60 per
cent of the cash valuation, for instance;
the parish 40 per cent; the city SO per
cent, and so on
1t is an old dodge to shout when
ever any reform is proposed in the
assessment laws, that it will increase
taxes. Perhaps it will; what con-
Germs the ordinary taxpayer to know
is, Whose taxes?" If it increases the
taxes of those who have not been pay
ing their proper share, no particular
/, ;e,