Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-09-08
TOO MANY FR|LLS
MAKE TAXES HIGH
ONE SMALL ITEM AFTER AN
OTHER RESULTS IN INCREAS-
ING LEVY EVERY YEAR.
BY County Assessor j. {. Sans.

parison of the tax receipts year by
year on the same property will dem
onstrate it conclusively.
Every person who does not pay
direct taxes knows it by the increased
cost of living. If any are doubtful,
let them examine their bills for house
hold necessities for the past several
years and they will realize the full
force of the increase in the cost of
government.
AS county assessor for the past
four years the taxation question has
been one with which l have had to
deal every day. The people in too
many instances think the assessor
fixes the amount of taxes in dollars
and cents. He does nothing more
nor less than the clerical and minis
terial work which seeks to equalize
the burden. The assessors duty is
to see that taxes are paid on all prop
erty alike.
But taxes have gone up because
governmental functions have stead
lily increased. AS assessor l have
learned by bitter experience that
while he may do his best to equalize
the burdens of taxation, he can do
nothing to hold down taxes. The
tax levying boards are the ones that
raise the money-they are the ones
to see that the money is spent in an
economical manner and that the tax
payer gets a dollar in return, either
of material or labor, for every dollar
of public money expended.
How to Reduce Taxes.
The way to true reduction is
through the tax levying boards,
which includes the state legislature,
city councils, directors of your local
school districts and the county COM
missioners. These officials must
spend the public money in an eco
nomical manner. The county must
be conducted along lines that will
eliminate waste, wipe out careless
expenditures and see that the taxpay-
ers' money is handled to advantage.
One thing that is needed in all the
counties of the state is an inventory
of all county property. The leaks
through the disappearance of equip
ment of various kinds runs into big
sums every year. This should be
stopped.
Each county, so far as possible,
should standardize it's supplies. The
county should be conducted in bust
ness matters the same as private
business is managed. Perhap you
think these are small matters. Per-
haps they are. But when the county
slashes $4,000 from the years ex-
penditures it cuts your tax levy near
ly mill.
| believe that the taxpayer should
be told in dollars and cents what 1T
costs to conduct the government.
Mills and ratios are all very we'll to
| talk about, but the taxpayer should
be told in dollars and cents. That is
what I believe in doing.
Every time little group of citi-
zens want something done at county
expense, it is argued that it only
means cents on the 500 of prop
erty value. But just remember that
every time you add cents to the cost
of government for each inhabitant
you start new movement that is
hard to stop. The cents becomes
10, Is and 25 cents and then dol
lar. 1t is just by these seemingly
harmless additions to the cost of
county government that the tax lev
les have increased so largely in
Thurston county as well as the other
counties of the state.
Population and Taxes.
| Coz n