The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-03-28
State Officials DefineTax
Lawsand Hear Complaints
Against Taxes in County
J g. State Commission Outline
in County; Total Tax Levy Payable This Year
is $685. 68o40. "z-""-:
Over 100 Persons Attend Interesting Meetings Court House, Much
Interest Evinced in the Discussions; Comparison of
Levies Shows Growing Rates.

The assessors of Beltrami county
met at the court house today for a
conference with the state tax COM
mission, Samuel Lord, chairman, and
J. G.. Armson, a member of the COM
mission, being present.
Many citizens attended the meeting
and offered complaints in regard to
the taxes. Many cases were investi-
gated. .
There were over 100 assessors and
citizens at the meetings.
Explain Law.
Mr.. Lord explained the various
provisions of law governing an as
SCISSORS duties. He reminded them
that they had taken an oath to per-
form their duties in accordance with
the laws of the state and urged them
to be true to their solemn obliga-
ton. He said that tax paying can
probably never be made a pleasant
duty, but if taxpayers could feel fair
ly certain that their tax money was
honestly handled and wisely spent
and that the property Of their neigh
bors was assessed the same as their
own, we would probably hear less
murmuring and fewer complaints.
He said it was so clear as to be
self-evident that if the property of
every taxpayer in every taxing dis
trict in the state was placed on the
assessment books and valued accord
ing to the same rule, the result would
be fair and uniform assessment all
over the state, and that this is just
what will happen if the property Of
every citizen is assessed according to
law, hence the reason the commission
insists that the law must be carried
out by every assessor just as it is
written. +
Assessor Responsible.
He said the opinion is quite prev
alent throughout the sta t e
that in some way not clearly under
stood the assessor is responsible for
high taxes. Taxes are unquestion-
ably high, but the assessor has no
more to do with making them so than
any other citizen. The duty of the
assessor is simply to value the prop
erty upon which the taxes are levied.
The assessment is simply factor to
determine how much each person
shall contribute to the expense Of
government, but it does not deter
mine the amount of the tax. It is
the amount of money that is voted
for public purposes that determines
whether taxes shall be high or low.
Large appropriations mean high
taxes. When a community is spend
ing large amounts of money-it mat
ters not what for-taxes will inevi-
tably be high but the assessor as an
officer has absolutely nothing to say
about how much money shall be
spent. The amount Of money to be
raised by taxation is determined by
town meetings., school meetings, vii
lage and city councils, county boards,
the legislature, and by the people
themse1ves-notb by the assessor.
Justice in Taxes.
It is said that while the assessor
has practically nothing to do with
making the taxes of a community
high or low he has nearly everything
to do with making them fair and
just From the standpoint of the
individual taxpayer he is the most
important officer who has anything
to do with taxation. If he COM
plies with his oath of office and does
his work in the way that the law pro-
vides, approximate justice will pre-
vail among all of the taxpayers OF
his district, but if on the other hand
he departs from the standard fixed
by law, or if he omits any consider
able amount of property from his list,