The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-17
VARIOUS PHASES
OF TAX PROBLEM
J, IN THIS COUNTY
Tax Situation Analysed
and Some Pertinent
Facts Brought
Out

S0l
At meeting held at the Isis
theatre this afternoon, discus.
sion of the tax question is in pro.
gress. The meeting was called by in
terested tax payers and should be
largely attended. Many questions az
to the reason why taxes are high will
be asked and answered and it will
take some wisdom, some good care
full observation and some common
sense to point out the most Of the
reasons why the taxes are so high:
The supposition always taken for
granted IS that as more people come
into the country, the cost of con-
Quoting the government will be less
per capita than when there are only
a few people in the country and as
the amount of taxable property in
creases, the expense of conducting
the county government should not
rise in proportion. AS a matter of
tact, experience teaches that these
things run on the opposite ratio. A
man owning $1,000 worth of
property ten years ago, paid less
taxes than he does now on the same
property. The population has doubled
in the past ten years, yet the amount
of personal taxes reported to the as
SCISSOR grows less For instance, in
the year 1918 the persona! property
values given to the assessor were
$980,269.00 while in 1920 only
$58S,0O0 were reported. Evidently
somebody has not given in all of
his personal property in making his
reports.
There are some things that are en-
titled to change without causing any
alarm and without indicating that
there is anything wrong about the
report. For instance, in the year 1920
only 5,019 horses and mules of the
work stock classified wers reported
and If this were less than a few
years ago it would not cause any
alarm because of the number Of
trucks, tractors and automobiles do
ing the horses work. There
are seven banks in the county whose
assets constitute personal property
and they should go quite some dis
tance in making up the total of
$5SS,0O0. There are hundreds Of
other business houses in the county
whose personal property list should
total considerable in money and then
there is the vast population all thru
the country not including the town
and it is evident that somebody has
neglected to turn in part of his
personal property in making his re-
port.
1t is just possible that a good
many people have adopted practice
sometimes known as the eleventh
commandment, "He that beateth the
tax collector, thereby giveth unto the
Lord"
People living in the country have
asked the county commissioners for
more roads, bridges and road re-
pairs. People living in the villages
have asked the county commissioners
to allow them deputy sheriff and
that costs some money. People liv-
ing in the larger places have asked
for more officers; they have asked for
more lights, streets, paving, more
sprinkling, more work on the streets
generally and in asking for these
things they have considered that it
did not matter much SO long as the
county paid it or If the city paid it,
forgetting for the time being that
the county and the city are made up
of the various individuals living with
in the county and city so they are
surprised when they get the tax bill
and find all these things they have
asked for are represented in the to-
tails which they pay. People living
in consolidated school district or
an independent district asking for
school wagons for the delivery Of the
children to and from school, know of
course that when the wagons are
put out it is charged up to some
body and that somebody is the tax
payer and residents of the district.
1t looks good to see the children car
ried to school on wheels and ifSwe
prefer to have it run that way we
must also agree that it looks good
to see the cost of it added to the tax
bill. It seems good to have a manual
training department in the school;
1t seems good to have domestic
science department; 1t seems good to
have music teacher; teacher of
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