The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1917-02-03
TO THE PUBLIC.

Act l4O of 1916 creating the Board
OF State Affairs vests it with various
powers and places upon it various
{ responsibilities. The first, and per
| haps the most important to the people
Of the State, is the power vested in the
| Board TO deal with IN alters of taxation
| With respect to taxation. the power
Of the Board is roughly divided into
| four classes:
| First the power to assess property
that has heretofore escaped taxation
Second. the power to equallZe the
assessment Of property between the
various g0vernm Entail subdivisions
Third, thepOwer to equalize assess
ments between individuals Of the same
local sub>d visions. \
Fourth. the power to assess the pro-
perry of all public service corpora
tons. such as railroads. telephone
and telegraph companies, and express
companies.
The Board Of State Affairs is new
Board. vested with new powers, and
given the authority to deal with the
question OF assessments in new man
ner. 1t has no precedents to follow
and no experience to guide it.
Before this Board can place proper
ty on the assessment rolls that has
heretofore escaped taxation, it must
know Of the existence Ofthat property.
1t h IS been asserted by various peo-
pie throughout the State and by some
Of the newspapers in the State that
the State is full of taX-dOdgers.
Ii any person. firm or corporation
in this State is lodging taxes. it is
the earnest desire Of this Board to
know who they are, and their method
of tax pdging.
The Board being new has no set
program, but is DESTROYS of following
the best plan possible to accomplish
its purposes.
The individual members of the
Board do not regard the Board as a
political body, but feel that it was
designed to b a business institution
for the purDOse of determining how
best to collect ard expend revenue.
The Board further considers Itself
servant of the people and it feels that
any citizen has the right to make any |
suggestion to the Board, with refer
euce to it's work, that he may deem
proper. !
The members of the Board desire
very earnestly to justify its existence.
for they know that in order to do SO,
they must have the cooperation of
the public.
The Board of State Affairs, there
fore. invites and requests from any
person in the State of Louisiana any
with reference to its duties
II invites. from any source, infor
nation concerning tax-dodgers or
persons who are not paving taxes on
property subject to to taxation.
1t invites information from any
source concerning inequalities in the
assessment of individuals in the vari-
Gus parishes.
1t especially requests from the news
papers of the State aud managers
thereof. suggestions regarding tie
work Of tie Board and any inform l.
lion concerning tax dodgers. inequali
lies IN aSseJ,ment or any information
that may enable this Board to more
July perform its duties to the people
u this State.
The Board will not consider any
anonymous communication. Any in
.ormatlon received il response to
his invitition will, however, b.
feate with the greatest c. nfidence.
Persons communicating any fact along
hese lines to the Board may rest as
'ured that the. will not be troubled of
nconvenienced for that reason.
All info fmatiOn of this character
will have to BE- Investigated and the
5Oard must kn w the source of the in
ormation b-fore any investigation \
IAN be undertaken
Address all communications to
The BOARD OF STATE AFFAIRS,
Baton Rouge. La.