Imperial Valley press., 1920-12-28
DAN v. WEST
DEFE ENDS TAXES

Editor Press:
\ | have been noticing some article!
in the papers regarding our tax af
fairs, which have shown an inclination
10 censure the auditors office for al
the tax ills Of all the people in I'M
lcrial county. 1t is for the purpose
Of defending this office that an
writing.
To begin with, want to say that il
has been the custom of this office tC
appoint an appraisement committee
every three years to make an ap-
plaisal of all city property. In 1917
1918 and 1919 we assessed the prop
erty at 40 per cent of their appraise-
ment, but in 1919 the board of super
vlsors decided that it would make a
better showing to raise the valuation
and reduce the rate, all of which this
2ttlce protested vigorously against.
IN fact we (Alr. Weaver and myself
were the only ones who did protest
against it, SO naturally the supervis-
ors decided that the people approved
the change. II 1920 this placed us in
position where we could not change
the percentage on account Of the tax
on unsecured personal property.
During the several years that
have been connected with this office
have given the tax business a great
deal of study and find. in my judg-
ment. a great many unjust. unneces-
sary and even foolish things. For
this reason | have, for a number of
years, tried to get the tax payers in
ferested III tax payers association,
but with no success. Everybody who
pays taxes knows, or ought to know
hat the assessors in California begin
their work on the first Monday in
Narch. 1t IS the law, and punishable
by fine, and under the law the books
must be in the hands of the board of
supervisors on the first Monday Of
July. From then on until the third
Monday IN July the supervisors sit as
I board Of equalization to make all
adjustments, and it is very rare that
,nybody appears before them. Very
little complaint is made to the assess
oIs prior to that time. But wait
when fall comes the storm breaks
'oose, and most Of the ones who COM
rlair say they didn't know about it.
Such ignorance Of the tax law is in
excusable.
One reason for the great awakening
now is the fact that last spring, at the
time CT assessing, everything was in
the ascandancy and everybody had
their sights raised, but now prices on
real estate are down and nc sale, and
1t seems the tax payer wants to take
MS spite out en- the county assessor
| Hken the situation to a person 60
3ng to a grocery store last spring and
buying sack of sugar for $25 on
credit and waiting Until now. when it
S $40. 20 pay the bill. The debt was
made when the goods were high, and
aoW has to be paid when they are low.
Some people say we have assessed
Cne!r property at more than they
could get for it now. | will admit
that this is probably the case now,
oLt what was their price on the first
Monday in March. | know numbers
OF sales that were made in the spring
at from so to so per cent more than
our valuation, and some cases where
pIlces We're held at two or two and
one-haiI times as much as our valua-
ton, and numbers of cases where peo-
PIE at that time refused to name
Trice.
Now, l am for tax hague or asso-
ciat:on, CT something of this kind, but
am for going to the root of the evil
not jump at the wrong place to cor
rect the evil. The main trouble is
with the people themselves. If some
guy comes along and tells you to vote
bends for this thing or that thing, it
has been your habit to do it, and when
you vote the bonds, or create a public
deDt II any way, you as a tax payer
VIII nave to pay it, and the fact that
the assessor placed the value, and the
supervisors placed rate to meet it,
doesn't place the blame on them. |
have heard great deal about eXtrav-
agance around the court house. Now.
VIII admit that in my mind there is
some extravaganza, but your most ex-
travagant institution in this county.
as well as the whole state, is the
school system. Now knock and say
that | am against education.) For
Estance, in the case Of FL Centre city
school district, the cost of the city
government is $3.50 per 100; the cost
OF the county government $l.28. and
the cost of the schools $148. People
seem to have an idea that anything
the superintendent of public instruc-
ton Or the school teacher asks for
must be given them. From what
can hear, or get at, the school super
lntendent and teachers maintain a
sort Of an association which lives for
the sole purpose of getting all they
can and canning all they get. The ma.
Jority Of them don't pay a cent OF
tax, and Of course they should worry
In my own district, Mulberry, / under.
stand they have 25 scholars with two
teachers at $175 each, and yet our su.
perintendent of schools tried to per.
suade US that we needed a S25. .OOC
monument to put these 25 scholar!
and two teachers in. ! have just beer
informed that under protest from tn;
teachers, superintendent Of school
and patrons of the schools, that :
minimum salary was put in for th
teachers, which takes 26 cents of tn
Sl.28 from the expense of the count,
government, and added to the s1.4
school tax makes the school tax SIT
for FL Centre city school district