Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-19
HOUSE MEMBERS SAY THAT
SECRETARY HAS DONE
PRACTICALLY ALL OF THE
WORK OF COMMISSION.
ARE NOT SURE OF FIGURES
Agree With Senators That It Is
Hard to Determine the
Revenue.

House members in their report on
the tax commission state that one
secretary, a chief clerk and one steno-
grapher placed all the property on
the tax rolls disclosed for taxation
by the tax commission. Their report
follows in full:
Your committee appointed under
the Martin Resolution to enquire III
he office of the Tax Commiss ;on con-
cerning the amount OF taxable prop
erty by them placed upon the assess
ment rolls and the cost of the same,
beg leave to report that in order to
set forth the facts as they find them
they are obliged to go somewhat be-
yOnd the confines of the resolution
The resolution seems to carry the
idea that the time Of the members
of the Tax Commission and the mon
ey expended by them are all devoted
to the end of placing property upon
the assessment rolls, whereas your
committee learned tnat the work Of
placing such property upon such as
sessment rolls is nearly all done by
the secretary Of the commission, the
chief clerk and one stenopragher, and
the total time expended by them was
twelve and one half months for the
secretary, four months for the chief
clerk and four months for the stem
ographer. The cost of this part Of
| their business amounts to the sum OF
$3,95S.69, as per statement rendered
by them, hereto attached and marked
1S,.l,. I,
members of the commission, the sec.
ratary, two clerks and two stenog-
raphers, it is very plain that little
time was devoted 70 placing property
upon the assessment rolls-it would
seem first in order to set forth their
! duties as prescribed by law and
shown ,oy Exhibit hereto attached.
The commission claims they have
exercised each and every ole of their
duties, as set forth in Exhibit B here
with; that the time of one member is
taken up entirely in administering
the inheritance tax law, giving legal
opinions and prosecuting suits
against parties who resist the taxes.
This member Of the commission
claims that in addition to administer
ing the said laws he has. through his
efforts, saved to the state the sum
of $4,000 in inheritance tax which
had escaped t.e various county
judges Another member has devot-
ed his time chiefly to getting statis
tics on tax matters. Another men,
|oer has spent his time chiefly IN
studying the tax laws of other states
and theories of taxation, with view
of making recommendations as to
tax laws that should be placed on the
statute books of North Dakota. Sew
erala bills have been introduced in
this session embodying some of these
ideas. The commission has also
equalzcd taxes for the banks
throughout the state at the rate Of
% per cent on actual valuation, where
as banks formerly paid on rates of
p per cent to 20 per cent. However,
the revenue obtained has not been
decreased owing to the fact that the
commission was successful in having
the law which allowed an exemption
OF per cent on all loans and dis
counts declared unconstitutional.
They have assessed light and power
plants and had a physical valuation
made Of such property and raised the
valuation sufficiently to bring in an
increased revenue Of $20oO0.0o, ac-
cording to their statements.
The attention of your committee
was called to the following figures
set forth in the reports Of the State
Board of Equalization as to the valu-
aticn of personal property assess
ment:
For 1909 ......... S34 ,429, i43.00
For 1910 .......... 81 ,9c9,319 0?
For 1911 ........ 81 ,4nD.S3l.OO
For 1912 ......... 3O,S61,ll1.OO
For 1913 ..... 54,SlO,SG7.OO
For 1914 ....... 5G.712,14I.OO
You will notice that from 1909.
when the personal property reached