Imperial Valley press., 1920-08-02
BUYEVERYTHING AT HOME

who has 10 pay them-but taxes
some communities are much fishe
than iii others. If you have eve
stopped to investigate the matter 70
have discovered that the lowest take
are found in the most prosperous con
| munlteS. And there's reason.
The prosperous community has tn
| lowest taxes because there is Il lars
| amount of wealth in the communit
| against which the taxes may be as
scSSed. There are prosperous mer
! chants with large stocks of goods up
on which taxes are levied. Propert.
values are high aud there are thrivin:
industries which pay a large proper
tion Of the taxes.
The higher the property values anC
the greater the wealth of the commu
nifty the lower are the tax levies, for {
lower tax on each hundred dollars o1
valuation is required to produce tn,
necessary revenue for the administra
tion Of the city and county govern
mtntS.
SbHCT dHeS ARC hGiSCO.
On the other hand, take dead town
Property values are low. Merchants
stocks are small and they have little
money FL the bank. Industries which
ordinarily pay large part of the taxes
Of community have closed down.
There are vacant store buildings which
were formerly filled with stocks OF
merchandise upon which the owners
paid heavy taxes. Who pays the taxes
that We're once paid by the mechants.
the manufacturers, the bankers and
the men who had large holdings OF
high-priced property. The taxes to
conduct the city and county govern
ments. to maintain the schools, to build
and repair the roads must be collect.
ed from someone. Who pays them:
The man who owns his little home or
the vacant lot or two upon which he
has been planning to build his home
must pay double or triple the amount
which he paid in the times when the
town was prosperous, to make up foI
the taxes which are not paid now 10y
the merchants, the bankers, the manu-.
facturers and the big property owners
who bore the heaviest burdens of tax.
alton when times We're good.
The farmers in the country sur.
rounding the town are also among the
heaviest sufferers from the ebbing OF
the towns prosperity. A certain
amount of money must be raised by
taxation TO provide for the expenses
of the county. Roads must be built
and kept in repair. Bridges must be
built and maintained. Salaries OF
county officers must be paid. County
institutions for the care of the sick
and the poor must be maintained. IL
counties which contain one or more
thriving towns, q large proportion OF
the taxes for the county are paid by
the towns. The greater the wealth
of the towns and the higher the prop.
erty valuations, the lower the tax levy
for the entire county. When the tax
levy is low the burden placed upon the
farmer is light. 49,
Burden Falls on Farmer.
When the county contains no pros.
porous and wealthy towns, the greater
part of the burden OF taxation for the
county falls upon the farmer. The
value of the farmers property does not
fall in proportion TO the value of the
property in the town and the higher
tax levy that results from the lower
property values in the towns makes
his taxes higher.
The farmer forgets at times that he
is vitally interested in the prosperity
Of his town." He thinks that it is up
10 the town to take care of itself and
thatA 1t is up TO him TO take care of
himself and he overlooks that fact that
the prosperity Of the town means as
live in il. The farmer who is inclined
10 overlook this fact has only to think
OF the matter of taxes and he IS likely
10 change his point of view for taxes
are one thing that neither he nor any
one else can escape, and they are one
thing in which the farmer ordinarily
takes very lively interest.
How Farmer Can Help.
There is just one way in which the
farmer can best promote prosperity in
the town near which he lives and that
is by spending his money in that town
instead Of sending it away TO the far
distant city. Every time the farmer
sends an order TO q mail order house
he helps TO destroy the prosperity Of
his own community and TO boost his
own taxes. When he sends dollar
away from home he gets none of it
back. When he spends a dollar at
home, part of that dollar comes back
TO him in some way. 1t helps the town
where it is spent 10 provide q profit
able market for his products and it
helps the town pay large part Of his
taxes.
We Save You Trouble, Mileage. Money