The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-12-24
TAX PROBLEMS
In BINGHAM
Valuations, Personal
Property and Bond
Roads
Chapter Ill.


There is a merchant who has paid
his taxes contrary to the predictions
of number Of people who COM
mented on the situation at the time
he located here in midsummer. He
put out a sign and conducted some
advertising indicating that he had q
$25,000 stock of goods on hand for
people to select from. We tipped of
the county assessor to go over and
assess him and see what he said his
stock was worth and when that dig
nitary called to assess him, he said
his stock was worth $500. We chal-
lenged him to pull down his sign
and put up a corrected one or to
go back and report to the assessor
the full value Of his goods. He held
OF for a good while and finally put
up q sign indicating that he had a
stock of goods. When he was assessed
the officer considered that so far as
he knew the new merchant was a
transient closing out some goods
and should pay his taxes on the spot
but he asked for week or ten days
time Ia which to get the money to-
gether and at the end OF that time
he asked for further extension and
gave assurances that he was going
to stay like other people. He has
stayed and has since paid his taxes
to $67, He is advertising
at times like other people saying
that he has q good stock of goods.
He has dropped the claim that he
has $4,000 worth to select from
though he defended the claim for
while by saying that he could get
$4,000 worth as fast as he wanted
1t. sa
Gave Widows the Best Of It
\ Our former statement that the ex-
emptions for widows now on the
books total $146,00O was a mistake.
It should have read 81 $1,000, prac-
tically all Widows exemptions. A
widow having property with d total
value OF $4,000 or over pays taxes
like anybody else. If 1t is valued at
less; than Sc, 900, she gets an ex-
Of a thousand dollars in
the valuation. is., As8
having tfousehofd goods
valued at a thousand dollars gets an
exemption Of four hundred dollars
on 1t. There is no further exemption
to greater values. If a
person Is Judged to have $500 worth
Of household goods, instead Of as
sessing him on. $500 and giving him
IN exemption Of $400, the matter is
arrived at direct by assessing him
with $1100. According to the infor-
nation we have received and COM
PARSONS made with the methods OF
assessing household goods In this and
3ther states, we conclude that the
Of household goods in
IDAHO is done in very loose and
Indifferent manner. Some states re-
luire the assessor to 60 in and make
IN examination of all the furniture,
His examination amounts almost to
aking an inventory. People having
my more furniture than others are
pretty sure to pay just little more
axes on 1t. II young fellow of
axable age has no real estate, they
make a careful investigation to see
I he has any personal property. If
le has no other personal property
Ind has watch or diamond ring
,r anything of value that he carries
'ound on his person, they make an
Of that, attempt to de-
ermine its value and book him II
,ay taxes on that much property
They make every individual bear his
n her share of the burden Of main
aiming the government that protects
hem. In this state practically no at
ention is paid to those things and
Iery little attention is paid to fur
liture. t, Ets Eas
\ The total assessed valuation of
in this county Is between
eventeen and eighteen million dol
ars and County Clerk Fisher says
le is satisfied that it should be
eventy-five million. At first thought
me concludes that the assessing
hould be done very thoroly and that
Continued on page four
saN.r5s-tt sarr fi4t 4l.y4.