The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1919-07-11


3rd. Our system resulted
in Burdensome taxes" The
greater weight of taxation orig
mates with Counties, munich
palities and other local units.
where Profligate Waste and
Reckless Extravaganza in the
Past Have Evidenced the In
competency of Many Officials"
On page 10, it says:
'4th. Our system encour-
aged Tax-Dodging. Inefficiency
and Extravaganza"
Why State Commission Wa
Created. Its Effect and Who
Is to Blame?
On page IL, it says:
Facing a deliberate reduc-
ton by the counties of 500
900, 10000 in the assessments
on which was based the states
most important source of reye-
nue., confronting a condition
which had Grown From Bad
to Worse until it Imperatiyely
demanded alleyiation, and Con-
scientiously striving to Remedy
the most Glaring Defect of the
states fiscal system. in 1916
the Legislature created State
Board of Tax Commissioners.
The State Tax Commission
was not created for the purpose
of Increasing the amount of
taxes paid by those Citizens
who were bearing their proper
tionate share of tax burdens. but
rather to Equalize Assessment
valuations as between Coun-
ties, and thereby work Equity.
The effect of such action. of
course. would be to eliminate
the practice of Reducing Valua-
tons and Increasing Levies
adopted by County boards.
With this practice abolished,
the States income would be,
to some extent, protected. The
greater valuations thus OBJ
tanned do not forecast greater
Burdens for the Taxpayer
Eventually, for, as the Valua-
tions go up, the Levies should
come down. By Far the Major
portion of the Taxpayers bur
den is purely Local in charac-
ter. If Local levies are not suf-
ficiently Decreased, or if Local
expenditures are not properly
curtailed, the fault lies Solely
with Local taxing officials, and
the Remedy remains Exclusive
ly in Local hands"
This is a Lovely and Loyin;
to Boards of Super
visors from this committee @
which Mr.. Johnston was mem
Der; and really sounds like on
editorials of May and June, 1915
but the "Loveliest and Loving
est" compliment ever is paie
when, on page Is. after sayin
that it is the duty of boards {
supervisors to equalize asses.
and paying its respect t
them, this committee turtle
says:
In all candor, if our Inves-
LEGATIONS Have Taught us ANY,
thing At All, it is that if the
Boards of Supervisors of Mis-
sissippi During the Past TWEEN
ty Years Had Even Approx
mately Discharged their Volun-
tarily Assumed Obligations as
Fiscal Officials. the State Tax
Commission Would Not Have
Been Brought Into Existence,
For 1t Would Have Had No
Duty to Perform.
Now, this is truly to the limi
and we don't think Oscar "ougt
to have DID IT." 1t may be al
right between friends to pa
such sweet, tender, beautiful
compliments, even if they are
little left-handed at times; but w
respectfully, but earnestl
protest against Oscar chargin
that his friend, Mr.. Lowe, is ever
in part responsible for the cree
ton of the State Tax Commits
sion, by his failure to even az
proximately discharge his dutie
and obligations for the nearl
sixteen years he has been in OF
flee. DANISH THE BASI
THOUGHT! Why! Does h
not ASSURE voters and ia,
payers that he has tried to pro
tect them against the unjust an,
exacting aggressions of this auto
cratic State Tax Commission.
1t would seem that this wa
AND a PLENTY AM
THEN SOME," but NO, for, OF
page 81 of this report, we fin,
the following pertinent. pungen
in speaking of tn,
State Tax Commission:
We would be both stupid
and unfair. if we did not also
recognize the fact that Much of