Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-02-05

The owner Of a $4,000 quarter sec
ton farm in Marion township, Marshall
county, will discover when he pays
his taxes this spring that his bill at
the county treasurer's office will jump
from $3.50, total taxes which he paid
last year, to s95.16 which is to the
tax he will pay this year, an Increase
Of 1855 upon $4,000 farm. This is
ased upon the levies, state, county and
township, for Marion township and
upon the average assessed valuation
Of land in that particular township
Now the question which is being dis
cussed by farmers all over the state
of Iowa is as to who raised these
taxes and why the increases were
made.
1t SO happens in Marion township
that the actual millage levy has been
increased only from 90 mills to 80 "a
mills, which means that while the state
leg islature increased taxes one-half OF
mill for the agricultural college work
and one-half of a mill for our STATE
hospitals and penal institutions and
while the net increase in the county
leves, including the increased road and
bridge lcvies, is only pa mills. The
township levies were reduced enough
to leave net increase in the total
millage of one-half a mill, but the &C
,ual increase in tax money 10 be paid
by the average farm in Marion
township is due mostly to the increase
in the assessed valuation Of land which
in turn is due to the increased selling
or real value of that land ard thereby
hangs a tale.
Had Escaped Before.
Farm lands in Iowa have risen so
rapidly in actual value during the past
ten years that their assessed valuation
for taxation became VIGOROUSLY under
valued as compared to the assessed
values of all other kind OF property.
and the lawyers employed By the low,
League of municipalities appealed to
the courts and obtained a decree OF
court compelling the state executive
council to value farm lands according
to law which would have required a
full valuation. The executive council
knowing that bank stock was assessed
at only so per cent of it's real value
and railroad property about the same
and city property at about 10 per cent
on an average at first decided to bring
farm property up to an so per cent as
sessment. but when it was found that
this would almost double farm valua-
tions the councils heart failed them
and a compromise was made by in
creasins farm land assessments to a
little over so per cent Of real values
and CITY property was brought up to
so per cent, but even at that, farm
lands in Marshall county this year
have been boosted one third higher
hafn y6
assessed valuation in Marion township
has been placed at $7S per acre where
it formerly was at $5S per acre and 1t
is altogether probable THAI the entire
township could be sold this spring for
an average price in excess OF $l5o per
acre.
Under this equalization Of farm land
assessments to the rise in farm land
real values we find the effect upon the
owner of an average $4,000 quarter
section in Marion township to be as
follows:
State Gets 1923 More.
The millage levy for the state gov
eminent for various legislative appro-
priations and for the state universities
remain the same in spite Of the fact
| that half of mini amounting to
about $3.50 in taxes Is required this
year to pay for the new capitol
grounds, but this farm upon the same
millage levy will have to pay for state
purposes an increase OF $3.l2 because
| of its increased valuation and then II
will have to pay $3.50 for the various
state institutions and $3.50 for the
| agricultural college work above what
| was paid last year.
County Gets $16.7 More.
In the county levies made by the
board Of supervisors the increases arc
all in the county bridge and county road
funds due to the fact that 10 per CEN
Of all the roads in Marion township
have now been given over to the coun:
| ty for maintenance and Improvement