The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-03-18
BY Commissioner Plumley
at Tax Conference
Meeting
RIGHT OF OFFSETS
WAS EXPLAINED
Commissioner Plumley Is
Preparing Peddlers'
License Bill

At the annual conference of the lister
of Washington county and the surround
ing counties at the Montpelier city hal
this afternoon, Tax Commissioner Charlie
A. Plumley of Northfeld outlined his re
cent instructions to the listers, towr
clerks and others throughout the stat'
and called attention to certain typo
graphical errors in the bulletin he haC
1 sent out.
Commissioer Plumley said that the
office of lister requires the exercise OF
good Judgment and impartiality; that
the lister is pre-eminently the most i'm.
portant official in the whole scheme OF
general property taxation. Every effort
TO better the system should be eoneen-
trated upon him and his work. The
germ of inequitable taxation finds its
origin in the local assessment. Every
step taken outside the straight and mar
row path marked out by the statutes,
leads to greater and more glaring in
equalities. The law prescribed the stand
ard of value, the plan to be followed,
and the lister is armed and equipped as
the law directs. He does not make, and
is not responsible for, but he has taken
an oath to enforce the law. If law is
not right. is inequitable, or unjust, the
surest way to have such law corrected
is to enforce it impartially. 1t is the
duty of the lister to see that he who has
been paying too much should pay less,
and he who has been paying too little
shall pay his full share.
He emphasized tho fact that a ) per
cent indebtedness does not entitle a man
to claim the benefit of an offset, that it
is only Indebtedness on which per cent
or over is paid that entities the taxpay-
er to an offset. He distributed illustra-
tive examples which he had worked out
in detail covering the matter OF offsets
involving the particular problems which
the listers will be apt to encounter IN
their work These examples are based
upon section of No. "a of the acts of
1915, and will simplify the work of the
listers if they are followed. These ex-
amples strictly follow the statute The
irst steps toward the formation of
Vermont Tax Officials association"
we're taken by the distribution of ten |
.ative constitution. This matter has |
,een discussed at prior meetings The
lther New England states have such as
as have large number of the
tates outside of New England. The as
ociation is formed ''for the dissemina
ion OF information concerning, and a
'etter understanding of tax laws, and
administration and enforcement of the
ame" II is composed of listers and
ther officials having to do with the ad
of the tax law in Vermont.
Incidentally. Mr.. Plumley distributed
bulletin showing the number of ped
lers' licenses now issued in the state,
he law relating to the licensing of ped
lers and the disposition which is made
the fees received from the licensing of
eddlers. The fees are distributed
mong the various towns "for the pur- :
Ose of equalizing opportunities in the p,
lblic educational system" 1t is appar
1t from an examination of this schedule :,
nd from ones knowledge of conditions
) they exist that a large number of :,
,dders are not licensed as required by
W.
Mr.. Plumley has drawn bill for in
at the next session of the leg
lature, which places the granting of Ii ),
nses of peddlers under the supervision =
the Vermont tax department, and !
Divides among other things that no To- :
| license can be granted except upon
to the local authorities of i
state license. This follows the law =
'plying to the granting of licenses to :
-cuses etc, and would make the law =
If reinforcing to a certain extent. The
venue now derived from peddlers' Ii A
nses is inconsiderable as compared D
tn what it should be.
Mr.. Plumley referred to bulletin No 7, +,
lieh he has recently distributed TO a,
ters, town clerks and others through =,
{ the state, and called attention to :
tain Typographical errors in that bull
in, paying particular attention to
ge 25. lines % and %. He said that
! words subdivision tbl OF section 81 T.
Juld be struck out, and that the words
,etion 4" should be inserted in lieu
,reof. The context discloses that this
typographical error, but in order pi
It there may be no confusion. Mr.. 10
imIey has distributed "Errata' slips IN
ling attention to these matters. For n, no
benefit of the newly elected listers, ~
discussed the changes in tax laws at
de by the legislatures of 1908, 1910. IN
, and 1915 He referred TO No. IS Of oa
laws OF 1915. which facilitates the
ection OF poll taxes, and to No. 54 of De
acts of 1915, which provides for the c'S
ointment Of limited number Of spe- as
deputies to determine the valuation y
power plants, mills. dams and other a. ~
rial forms of taxable property. -, ne
mos J. Eaton, esq, of South Royal :
Of the state board Of forestry. spoke M
Forestry Taxation" and on the an "a
tory from the Standpoint OF Listers ~
I0ng Experience
here were about IS listers and others Ga
rested in tax matters present when ~
conference was called TO order. -, ~
Special Meeting.