Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-15

must be maintained for the benefit protection
of society CD That the State must provide for the coec-
of sufficient sustain these institutions (4 That
additional constantly needed the increasing
demands Of industrial, educational charitable, agricultural
financial and transportation development support Of State and
quasi public institutions and the many other unforeseen and
necessary requirements of modern civilization ) That this
expense and demand for wholly
within the sovereign power CO.. That this increased burden
logically and necessarily leads search for Of
income and schemes of taxation otherwise the increase
of would become ntoerabe But this assertion may ap
pear inconsistent the unamended constitution provides that
al property real and personal exempt taxable This
theoretically true but the fact that the constitutional
requirement. and the laws enacted carry into effect
persisteny and eecaly evaded and much property
is untaxed that demand has been made that these
evasions be checked and the burdens equally distributed
The great of complaint however against the
administration of laws has been that real and
tangible personal property have had to bear nequtabe
share of the burden of taxation for the that the
ment of intangible personal property very small in proper
Iton to the assessment of these other classes
Although the evasion of taxation by intangible personal prop
ery not authorized by law tolerated fact and
doned by common consent because of knowledge that
THE income received by the holders of this class Of
poperty under five per while the average
of taxation is between go and $780, to be exact28056 and
that the collection of this taking nearly onehalf the
leaving average of but little 25 renders this
Ia great hardship upon the holder This fact itself speaks
and offers ample proof that the system of taxation that seeks
impose such burden this kind of property the
hand and consequence drives into hiding the other,
is unjust mprovident and Intellectual imposing unnecessary
burden upon visible property and practically expg invisible
property; and that it regarded amply shown only
by the of expert opinion and practical investigation
wherever the matter has been the of consideration
also by the history of tax legislation
In order define the ISSUE should be here noted that
have nothing whatever do with the question of taxing real
estate and tangible personal property these affected
by the constitutional amendment but only with the
Instability nadvsabily of changing the method of taxing
intangible personal property and that all the authorities dis
cuss this issue and tend to show general condemnation
o any system of taxation that seeks impose upon intangible
personal property the vale and that it lays
upon the other classes of property and support the
enon that intangible personal property wherever it per-
mitted should be classified and taxed different rate
AS the authorities here quoted refer the system which they
condemn "a general property tax should also be borne
mind that present method in all respects general
poperty tax and that the quoted criticisms of such apply
drecty method We wish further to say that by
of the tax expert do not who has made
ia hobby of the question and studied it to support fad but
one who skilled upon the subject of economics Of which
alton is department.
Among the great authorities taxation Charles j. Bullock
Professor of Economics at Harvard University generally
acknowledged be the most eminent He says of the general
property system 1T places the tax payer the position
of circmvenng the law. and does not foster habits OF good
ciizensp the latter the of fearful decentralization
Here again official documents abound testimony to the evils
of the system 1t is declared be debaucng to the
and subversive the public morals-a school OF
perjury promoted bv law; puts premium perjury and
penalty integrity debauches the moral sense produces
widespread decentralization and encourages evasion anu
honesty This severe but one familiar WITH ue iae
can doubt its TRUTH