The Bowbells tribune., 1920-04-16
County, Friday, April

Furthermore your school tax
was not levied in the new y valua-
tions but was restricted in 1919 to
25 per cent above the maximum
that could have been levied under
1918 valuations. s., .s,,i
You ask What is fair about a
tax system that imposes OH the
farmer who owns a $4,000 farm
taxed at $4,000 valuation, on "a
merchant who owns a $4,000 stock
of merchandise and is taxed on
$4,000, while the bank which owns
a $4,000 mortgage on nv farm is
not taxed at all?
2. AS relating ITO the farmer who re-
sides on the land, has live stock
and machinery, etc, and the mer-
chant those taxes are we'll equal
lied. The merchant pays taxes on
the full value Of his place Of busi-
ness--store building and lot. The
farmer is exempt from tax on all
buildings. $1,000 on machinery and
tthe balance, III any, above : the
81, 900, and all>his live stock is
taxed on a basis of so per cent Of
the value. The Nonresident spec
ulatOr in farm land, who has no
buildings and does not improve the
country. is forced under this az
! rangement to pay more taxes than
formerly. and they, ore hollering
calling league leaders names and
charging that cit Is a one man gov
ernment."' AS to the holder of
mortgage not being taxed, the N. p.
7. works along practical lines. The
history of taxation proves that it is
Impossible to tax a mortgage with
= tax that lie borrower does not
have to Day. The lender adds such
tax either in the form of increased
interest or demands its payment at
time of making the. loan. The N.
P. L. legislature sought rather to
help the borrower by creating u
| condition thru better facilities. of
credit. to bring down the rate Of
interest. ~. Il
AS Mr.: Holtz makes no definite
statement as to Minnesota taxes ex-
cept to deny that they are higher
than in North Dakota will mere
| ly say official figures from Mime
sofa show a higher rate of state tax,
a larger per capita state tax, and a
| larger per cent Of increase of state
tax over 1918.
His statement in regard to in
vestors sidestepping North Dakota
| on account Of conditions. does not
j! jibe, as he clearly contradicts him
self. He barely quits complaining
| about ''the banker paying no tax on
! mortgages" and then forgets all
about it and says the estate i'm
poses a taxion the investor when
he makes loan and a tax when the
!. loan is collected" as - Is :
I am free to admit = is difficult
I to follow Mr.. Hoitz.s line sOf Aargu-
i;nent. Then he states that with a
greatly increased state pay roll q
4 have no data rs to the pay roll now
{ or in 1919 but in view of Mr..
/, Holtz's evident lack of Information
on other subjects I would hate to
take his word for it) we have Moth
ing to show for It.
If he deliberately refuses to take
advantage of cheap state hail in
| surance, which saved the people Of
| North Dakota over five million dol
| lars in 1919, it is his own fault. A
grain grading law that has teeth
and will actually make grain buy
ers and elevator companies give the
farmer square deal. and various
| other legislation passed to secure TO
the common man more even Justice,
ho is allowing his prejudice to in
fluence his judgment. IN
He asks one other, question, but
as candid answer would be even
less complimentary than the fore
going. will forbear answering it
at this time. r-75s
In regard to not reading the
|5Bowbells Tribune, wish to say I
read the Kenmare News, and to be
honest with you it was the Kenmare
News that convinced me that the
NJ = T.. Is all right, s5s.
I III closing this article. Mr., Holtz,
am going to ask You to confine
your argument to the tax PROPOSE
|ytion and the noted tax embeszler,
|Townley. and one man government,
andSnot simply hearsay, as 4 am
Like the Missourian .S you have got
to show me-. nj: g5s st
q. j, MARKS. .;