Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-04-06
WOULD ADD TO
FARMERS TAX
SPECIAL TAX OF ONE PERCENT ON
VALUATION OF OVER $4,000
is PROPOSED
SUBMISSION TO A REFERENDUM
Farmers Bureaus Make Effort To Sc
cure Popular Sentiment

BOISE-About $4,000 Idaho farm
bureau members will be called upon
before April is TO approve or disap-
prove a tax plan proposed by a bill
in congress whereby land holdings
valued in excess of 10000 will be
taxed one per cent. The American
Farm Bureau association will COM
pile the results of the referendum
and make recommendation to con-
gress.
l.. w. Fluharty, secretary of the
state farm bureau, issued Tuesday
the following statement on the refer
endum:
Submission of this referendum is
the first result in Idaho of the action
of the Idaho state farm bureau, at
its recent meeting in Boise, in decid-
ing to join the national federation.
At the Boise meeting, especial APP
proval was given by the delegates to
the provision in the proposed feder-
alton constitution, that the federation
should not be committed to opinions
on national policies without submis-
sion of such questions to a referen-
dunn of the membership
A copy of the referendum, which is
the first ever put out by the national
body, has been received in the office
of l.. w. Fluharty, secretary of the
state farm bureau. 1t will be trans
mitted by him to the county farm bu-
reaus with request that it be passed
on to community chairmen for sub
mission to farmers in their commu-
mites. The referendum says:
February z, 1920, Representative
Nolan introduced in the house of rep
resentatives a bill to provide for the
raising of public revenues by a tax
upon the privileges of the use and
enjoyment of lands Of large value.
Section 1-of said bill defines land to
be the surface of the ground with all
assessments in, on and over the same.
includes forest, water rights and min
erals, and not including improve
ments the result in whole or in part
OF the application of labor to land
Section provides: "That all per-
sons, firms associations and corpora
tons owning land in value in excess
OF $4,000, whether in possession or
leased to others, shall be subject to
an excise tax upon the privilege of
the use and enjoyment of such excess
at the rate of one per centum."
The referendum says: "The object
OF this act is to raise public revenues.
II is not supposed that it will do
away entirely with, but be supple
mentary to the present income tax
laws. The proponents of this and
similar measures believe that land
does not at present bear its just pro-
portion of taxes as compared to the
industries.
Effect: In considering this act
you should not allow the fact that the
revenues therefrom will come in prin-
cipal part from the farmers, to pre-
judice your judgment, but should CON
Psider it in relation to fairness to 9th
er interests; and whether or not it
would be of sufficient burden to af-
feet land values, rentals or incomes,
and thus affect production.
There is no provision made for de-
ductions for mortgages or liens. The
provisions merely call for one per
cent per annum annually on actual
valuation of all holdings above $1O.-
600 Since the farmers of the nation
are most vitally concerned in this
proposal, we ask that you give this
careful consideration and return the
enclosed ballot to American Farm
Bureau Federation, Ames, Iowa. not
later than April Is, 1920"