The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-12
LISTERS MEETING
Continued from page g.

trust and for failure to furnish such
inventory such trustee shall be fined
not more than two hundred dollars.
Having received the inventory you
arc to appraise the property at its
true value in money and your APP
praisal is not to be included in the
total grand list You should bear
this in mind. It is your duty, as I
have said, to appraise such bonds
notes at their true value in money
and enter in the grand list bocl, -
amount that will become due and
minute beside the same the words
"scven-tenths trust rate" You will
find | have prepared a page i, -
grand list book for your use in list
ing this class of property in order
to keep it out of the grand list. In
other words, you are to appraise the
property and figure the tax thereon
at the rate of seven-tenths Of one per
cent. This tax is payable at the
same time and should be collected in
the same manner as other town taxes,
except that there is no discount al
lowed. In my opinion this law will
not accomplish what its trainers ex-
pected Of it, provided they expected
that it would put this class of prop
erty into the list, OF in other words,
would bring it forwad for taxation
and out of concealment. You will
see, think as do, that inasmuch as
only the revenue raised on the grand
list can be expended for the support
of government according to the votes
taken in the several towns and on
the basis Of the rate and the amount
of taxes raised on the grand list,
this seven enths fund which is ex-
plicitly and specifically excluded
from the grand list by reason of the:
fact that under the law it is no part
of the grand list, can only be used
as other money in the general fund
of the town is used such as dog
licenses, circus licenses, peddler's
licenses for general expenses. In
other words the grand list of every
town in which such property is held
is lowered by reason of the fact that
this property is not to be included
in the grand list. It follows then
that the holders Of such classes Of
property do not contribute anything
towards the payment of. the state Or
twon school, highway or other taxes
raised on the basis of the grand list.
Standing Timber.
II you will examine Section 718 Of
the General Laws you will find that
it provides that standing timber
that has been sold and conveyed
without the land on which it stands,
shall, unless otherwise provided, be
annually taxed and set in the list to
the owner thereof on the first day of
April, and there shall not be a de-
duction from the appraisal of such
! standing timber on account Of debts
owing. The listers shall make sep
arate appraisal Of the land on which
such timber stands and shall set it
in the list to the owner thereof"
| Standing timber that has been sold
and conveyed without the land is 20
j be taxed and set in the list to the
owner. It is to be set in the list, not
as real estate, but as personal prop
erty and there shall be no deduction,
no Offset, as against such personal
property on account of debts owing.
You will find, if you examine the
! 9th VT, 155 and the 89th VT, 201-
| 210, that our supreme court has fatty
held that the conveyance Of growing
trees, (standing timber) to be re-
moved within specified time, works
in law a severance of the trees from
the real estate, and converts the trees
into personal property.