The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-21
OFFsETTING THE LOSS

The Ocala Star says: Government
ownedship of railroads would reduce
the state of Florida's tax receipts
about a million dollars a year. The
theorists hadn't thought of thai"
Yes we have thought of that, but
we have thought how it can be offset
and not dollar more tax collected
from those now paying it. Kentucky
changed its tax system and in year
got on its books $50,000,000 of per-
sonal property, notes, mortgages and
such like, than it had ever had Oh
those books before This was the net
result in one year of system that
went after the personal tax dodger
and broke him of his habit of making
the real estate owner do it all. lie
Florida will change its tax system so
as to catch the more than $1,000 poll
tax dodgers it has, and the perhaps
half billion dollars in lodged person
al property tax not only will that mill
ion dollars spoken of by the Star be
overcome, but there will be something
added to the million.-Tampa Tribune.
We hadn't ranked the Tampa Tr1-
bune as theorist, nor connected tax
lodging with government ownership,
but since the Trib. has brought the
matter up We will suggest to it that
right now is the time for it to begin
to exert its by no small influence on
the members of the legislature to re-
form the tax system of the state.
The present patchwork system of
ste ~ foS 81 n51c
that have been tolerated until they
have grown into customs.
1t seems ridiculous that it should be
understood that a man should return
his property to the tax collector at
half or third or a quarter of its
value, yet this has been the system in
Florida over quarter of a century,
and the evil has increased until many
return it at a tenth or less, and not a
few not at all. A result of this
has been an abnormally high tax rate
on what is returned; consequently the
burden is not only heavy, but most
unequal.
A look over the tax books of any
county will show downright perjury
on the part of many taxpayers. It is
understood in this county that people
shall return their property at so per
cent valuation, but while many most
iy comparatively poor men) do this,
many more make returns at nearer
10 per cent, and there are millions of
dollars not returned at all
There are paying business and man.
ufacturing institutions, productive
farms and stock ranches returned at
much less than half their value. Tax
lodging on personal property is fierce.
Their is many a man riding around in
a fine touring car which he has re-
turned to the tax assessor at less
than half the worth of a fivver. Men
who are selling fine beef cattle and
hogs, and Dragging on doing so, do
not return a single hide or hoof. Men
with fine furniture, plate, jewelry and
libraries report to the assessor per-
haps hundred dollars for what they
would not sell for thousands.
This is forced on some by the huge
tax rate, which would reduce not a.
few to bankruptcy, if they made re-
turns in full. But with most it is the
result of custom, and their conseieneesI
are salved by the excuse as old as
civilization verybody's doing it."
There are also in this county hun
dreds of men who have personal prop
erty worth from a hundred dollars to
two or three thousand. who do not
pay cent toward the public support,
though they derive as much benefit
from the government as men who pay
thousands
On the other hand. there are large
number, probably majority, whose
property is assessed at the usual val
uation, and who on account of the
derelictions of the tax dodgers must
pay amounts of money difficult and