Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1915-12-31

AAel +. RamSCedt, president OF
the public utilities commission
and former president of the tax
association, in his paper on "tax
payment and collection" took a
hard fling at the system of per-
mitting the payment of taxes in
two installment without penalty
or interest. He declared it did
not give the taxpayer that meas
ure of benefit which it was in
tended to give. He hoped that
some way might be found to bring
the counties back to a cash basis
without imposing too great a
burden.
10 inaugurate a just tax system
it was necessary to enforce the
assessment laws, said Mr.. Ram
stedt. The revenues should be
collected honestly and wisely ex-
pended. Local prejudice, polite
al Vaccinations and ignorance of
the law resulted in mistreatmenu
of the taxpayer. There should
be some sort of tax board, vest
ed with authority and held re-
sponsible for the enforcement of
the law. Laws providing for the
collection of personal property
under transfer cannot be enforc-
ed in the absence of such board. |
Former Governor Hawley in
his paper on "The Problems of
Centralizing," favored placing
absolute control Of the assessment
of property in the hands of a
commission with statewide au-
thority. The tax commission
should he revived, he maintained.
There should be a constitutional
to give them the re-
luired power. While this might
ook like an expensive undertake
ng it would really be economy.
The amount of property escaping I
axation is much greater than ,
supposed. The formation of a s
permanent and non-partisan or y
was a wise and salu- h
ary move. 1t would awaken d
ublic interest, keep the people a
1formed of conditions and assist n
he governor and the legislature.
Governor Alexander read a Fl
hort paper on taxation as a gen ii
raj proposition. He spoke of the al
lcursion into every state of fed
raj authority which taxes and
xpends, leaving little for the
tate to tax but real and personaler
The tendency was to-
ard paternalism and socialism. OF
[e favored the formation of the &C
ssociation. Economy should be al
oupled with sane exenditure. tn
he burden is unequally borne at co
resent. 1t was largely a case of er
without taxation. do
took and bond wealth was hard OF
reach, corporations paid on W. ".
leir net earnings; the farmer Oil
ad to pay whether he earned an
nything or not. The truth should
e ascertained and the burden Cd
lualized. Abuses were too COM Or
ION. One county had collected Ca
IS, 600 more than the state had W
,puired or could accept from it, w
nd the money would have to lie W.
the county treasury until it iio
,uld be returned to the taxpay- ali m
g. A rich state like Idaho he'
iould not suffer from the tax ~
lrden. -e>
wa
President Brannon of the uni 60,
ersity was the closing speaker. (
e spoke without notes and gave aid
mastery short address. The 30,
* load should be distributed, he 60,
i'd. We should know what our n;c
,venues and expenditures are, tra
hich we do not now know. t,r
commission government was be- tbe
,ming more popular and more fo,
fective, as witness the educa- mi,
onal commission. The tax COM the
ission should never have been
polished. He extended tn e =
lanks of the university to those
.ooont for the attendance and Ter