The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-01
HAYS TO
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ject and what do you propose to sub
stitute in It's place? 1t is not enough
to oppose the present law, since the
state must be supported by TAXATION
and some law must be enforced. VIC
have a right, therefore. to know what
you are going to do about 1t.
I'm short, we say again to our Dem
ocratic friends: We have acted In this
tax matter just as your own party
promised to do II entrusted with pow
er and Just as your own tax commits.
sion and your own governor urged
should be done. but which you lacked
the courage to do, notwithstanding the
fact that your own commission re-
ferred to the existing tax law as
'legalized system of robbing the small
property owner
Have Done Best.
I'VE have done the best we could
under the existing constitution. We
do not claim that this Is a perfect law.
Experience will show the weak places.
Neither do we claim that It has been
perfectly administered by human be-
ings and to err is human. The Divine
only is perfect The Commission has
had an enormous work to do-assess
for the four-year period all the real
estate IN Indiana, put in force a new
tax law and conduct a campaign OF
education among the local boards In
order to make them familiar with the
lnew law. 1t is inevitable that mistakes
should be made.
1T is likewise inevitable that all
property will not be put on the du-
plicate in Indiana this year at its true
cash value, but it is clear that the out
rageous conditions portrayed IN the
report OF the Ralston Special Tax
Commission will not continue after
this years assessments are made and
that the present law Is more equitable
in its application than the former law.
THE present tax law does not I'M
dertake to provide new sources of rev.
enue, nor does it present any addition
al ways Of raising taxes. By the lini-
tations of our constitution we are con-
fined largely to what is known as
general property tax. The present tax
law is intended to place on the dupl-
cate all property at its fair cash value.
| The result obtained so far most clear
ly indicates that it is a vast improve
ment over the former law.
Three Times Former Value.
The coming duplicate will approx
mate six and one-half billion dollars
or nearly three times the former as
sessed value with a corresponding re-
duction in the tax rate. All property
discovered for taxation is more nearly
assessed at its true value than ever
before and under the law now in force
the burdens of taxation will be more
equitably distributed than was posi-
BILE under the old law.
The new law lays no additional
burdens on the people 1t simply pro-
poses to distribute the existing burden
| in proportion to the property owned
1t says to everyone: You must list
your property at it's true value a pro-
position so fair that no one will be
heard to object to it. In its admins
tration, if defects appear. they will be
corrected in a constructive and not in
a destructive way.
"Of course some persons and corpo-
rat1ons will pay more taxes under the
new law than the same persons and
corporations paid under the old Law.
This is inevitable If inequalities are 10
be removed, Other persons and other
corporations. however. Will pay less. I
believe the present board has the cour-
age to enforce the law impartially
against all persons: to put all the
property Of the state on the tax du-
plicate at its true cash value so far as
the board is able to reach it and dis
cover its value.