The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1917-03-22
$25O,OOO TAX
ON AUTOSBY
new BILL
Expect Issuance of Seventeen
Thousand Licenses for
Year 1917.

Idaho will collect $250000 or more
from owners of and dealers in auto
mobiles and motorcycles In 1917, ac-
cording to an estimate made by George
l.. West, corporation clerk in the sec
retary of states office. The bill en-
acted by the legislature, providing for
the collection of licenses on a basis of
weight of cars rather than by horse
power, Is expected to increase the rev.
enue derived by the state from ma
chimes, IL 1t Is signed by the governor.
Thirteen thousand automobiles were
registered with the secretary of states
office in 1916. License plates have
been provided for $4,000 this year.
and West thinks that at least 1900
plates will be necessary.
Slow i'm Paying.
Automobile owners have been slow
in paying their licenses thus far this
year, and as result they are going to
have to put up more money for their
plates when the new law becomes eff
fective shortly. To date only 5000 Ii
censes have been taken out since Jan
uary l this year. leaving 10000 Ii
censes yet to be paid.
Under the law all license fees be
come due the first of the year. Fail
ure to pay promptly causes the cars to
become liable to seizure and sale, but
inasmuch as the county assessors, with
whom the state co-operates in collect
ing its licenses. are generally lenient,
cars are seldom seized.
In 1916 the state collected $213,75S
in licenses. registration fees, etc. from
! the ears Of the state and $3735 from
the 754 motorcycles In Idaho. The
number of automobiles operated In the
state increased 100 per cent last year
over 1915. West does not expect any
such increase this year, but he be-
lieves that there are at least 1000 more
cars being operated in the state than
/ in 1916.
Highest of All States.
Idaho has the highest license on
cars Of any state. Under the present
laws plates for ears up to 30 horse
power cost SIS; on cars from 30 to 40
horsepower, $40; on cars from 40 to
30 horsepower, $25; over 80 horse
power, $40
But despite the high license, the
tax on all cars averages only $15.30
That is because in Idaho the small
machine reigns supreme. West esti
mating that more than 65 per cent OF
the automobiles are Of one make.
However, despite the apparent high
license, Idaho Is one of the five states
which does not collect a personal tax
on machines, the license fee being ac
cepted In lieu of all other taxes THAI
law has permitted dealers to escape
in the past, and does yet, but under
the new law dealers will have to take
out a license for each town in which
they do business. Last year only 2S4
dealers took out licenses. There ar,
many more dealers than that in the
state, and in the future they will b,
forced to purchase a license for every
) agency operated. The license cost So;
each.
OF all the moneys collected from
cars, the state receives % per cent
the other three-quarters going to tn,
counties in which the cars are regis
tered. but all is spent on the building
and upkeep of highways In 1916 tn,
, state got $53, 1880 as its share of tn,
automobile tax. This year it shoulC
he considerably more, West thinks.