Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-09-21
Steady Increase OF Taxation
In North Dakota Under
Townley Domination Il
Clearly Shown By, Com
pariison With F . N : ]
Years. u. n. ]
state Levy Increase

Bismarck, N. D.. Sept. 21.-A
graphic chart, showing the remarka-
BILE increase in taxes under the Nom
partisan administration, is shown in
tables produced today by F. e. Pack
ard, former member OF the tax COM
mission. - f.
They show an increase Of the,
amount from $1,415984 to $3,S92,-
: 195. There is an increase for every
year, as the Nonpartisan league has
bureaus in the state and added high
ealaried appointive officers.
The statement is made in answer to
Prof. Vim. G.. Roylance, "propagand-
list" for the Bank of North Dakota,
who is referred to as':late Of the
University of North Dakota. closet
economist and school room theorist." "
The figures show how the Nonpar-
tisan propagandists arrive at their
claims Of reduced taxes. They show
a decrease in the state tax levy, but
fail to mention that the valuation has
increased and that the amount rails
ed by the tax levy has increased
Experts Figures Wrong.
Sometime before the state tax levy
for next year was fixed by the state
board of equalization, G. E. Wallace,
tax commissioner, made the state
ment that the current tax levy for
state purposes would be about z of
one mill. Mr.. Packard ventpred that
1T would range between 1.9 and FL
mills. s
Prof. Roylance. in a letter to the
Fargo socialist paper, assailed this
statement as distortion of the truth.
He concluded: "A levy of 3 of q
bo
amount (levy for state PURPOSES; so
that it is plain that a levy Of z mills
proposed by Commissioner Wallace
will ibe AMPLE" But when the levy
was fixed it. was fixed, not at 3 of 9
mill as :Roylance suggested, but ID
mills. \ .si
"The levy for the current year fix- 8
was for the general fund, 1.044 mills:
! sinking fund, 0.05 mills; Interest
fund, o. .056 mills; total, l.l50 mills, tol
nearly four times as great as Prof.,
Roylance declared would he ample,
}. Adding to this DTS mills Tor the sol:
'sis.. as. r.ssssd;: ssss 81 81 H'sis sa''
I. ..4,. " ..3.s u D direct Taxes Also.
4 4. s;"On q valuation of $1,000, ,009, ,00o
(estimated by state tax commission
,er) this levy will produce $2,s47,1s
e
story. The incon,e tax, the oil tax
and the stock and bond tax. all new
and direct taxes, will produce this
year $1,O46.000, according to the
state tax commissioner His estimate
for next year Is about the same, 90
that to the $2,s47,ls6 general prop.
4 erty levy must be added these special
direct taxes. which. makes. burden
of $3,s93,1S6. In 1919, with no spe-
cial direct taxes, the levy was $3,-
676,O39, or somewhat less than for
the current year. The rate last year
was 2.4125 mills.
''In 1918 the levy for state pur-
poses, without the direct taxes OF this
year, was s1,690,156, or 4.3 mills. In
5 1917 it was $1,657,612 or AS mills
and in 1916. the last. levy made BY
the Hanna administration, 1t was $1,-
417,984, or mills. !.
my assertion which threw Prof
Roylance into such a srage. was that
levy based upon, the pre- socialist
valuation, would have to be about
mills to produce the revenue needed
at this time. .-i, Z
Ievtes Compared.
Let me demonstrate that this i.
true. Taking the levies in dollars fol
last year and this year, and the 1915
valuation as the base I find that tc
produce this years revenue upon the
1915 valuation, a levy Of II mills
would be necessary. and taking this
years levy in dollars, It would have
required Io.4 mill levy upon the 1917
valuation to produce it.. Here are tt,e
levies for the past four years in mills
based on the 1916 valuation: 1920
IL mills; 1919, 1914: mills: 1918. ~
4 mills; 1917. 4.s mills, 1916, 4 mills.
'.Using the 1917 assessed valuation
as base. to produce this years rev.
enue, 10 mills |. would have, beer
necessary. and to produce the 1s1!
assessed valuation. 81 mills woule
have been necessary. Using the 1915
assessed valuation .as a base. to pro.
duee the 1920 revenue, 9 levy of' e.
TO produce the 1919 valuation, Il
mills would have been necessary.
Can't Get Away With It. AK
..Mr. wallace ana Prof Roylanc,
the socialist papers OF the state. and
attempt to convey the impression
that q low rate per cent levy upon 9
hiFh valuation, produces a low tas
burden. but they can't get away witt