The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1921-08-05
WHAT JOHN J. REDMON HAS
DONE FOR THE TAXPAYERS
READ THE CORES
PONDENCE

About July Is, 1920, Mr.. Leon
Smith, Assistant to the State Tax
Commission, came to the office OF the
Tax Commissioner of Bourbon Coun-
ty, Kentucky, and said that we had
to raise all real estate from 6 to 10
cents, and that transfers must be
put in at 80 per cent, of their actual
cost price. l fought this with all
my power because 1 thought our
people were taxed high enough and
as to transfers, 90 per cent. of the
actual selling price was an injustice,
because if a man paid $500 an acre
for farm I was to take it at $3.50
an acre for taxable purposes. The
man that did not sell right over the
fence was in at 500 to $125 at the
outside I told him I would not do
it. He then said, 81 will fire you
from the office" The following let
tiers from the State Tax Commission
er will explain the rest:
STATE TAX COMMISSION
OF KENTUCKY
Frankfort, July %, 1920.
Mr.. Walter Clark,
County Tax Commissioners,
Paris, KY.
Dear Strive are just in receipt
of letter from our Assistant State
Tax Commissioner, Mr.. Leon Smith,
in which he reports to us that he has
visited you and looked over the work
in Bourbon County in regard to the
assessment of property being made
under your supervision at this time. |
If 1c nvI fol, fn 10 4l1x Il
Mr.. Smith says that in his opinion
you, personally, are undertaking to
do your duty as County Tax Com
missioner and assess the property as
required under the law, but that your
Deputy, Mr.. Redmon, persists in re-
fusing to perform his duties in COM
plying with the orders and rulings
OF the State Tax Commission to have
the property assessed at value not
less than 80 per cent. of it's actual
cash value. From the information |
obtained we are advised that Mr.. |
Redmon, who is acting as your Dep
uty, refuses to increase a single per
son, regardless of what valuation the |
taxpayer places thereon, but insists
that he was intending to assess the |
property on the books just as it was
last year. You can imagine that we
are very much surprised at the atti- |
tude OF Mr.. Redmon. He attended |
the conference of the County Tax
commissioners as being a gentleman |
who knew his duty, and had the cour-
age to perform any duties devolving |
upon him as an official of this State
Based upon this information, some |
action must be taken in the matter
at once.
We desire to call your attention to
section z, Chapter II, of the Acts of
1918, which says:
Each County Tax Commissioner
herein provided for may, with the an
proVal of the State Tax Commission.
appoint as many sober, discreet.
capable persons not under the age of
years, as deputies to as
SYST him to discharge his duties. as
ne may ceem necessary, and may re-
move them at his pleasure"
II Tor any reason, political. or
otherwise, Mr.. Redmon is NOT dis
posed to do his whole duty on be-
nall OF the State and the taxpavers
'f Bourbon County and assess the
property of this county as required
oy law, you should not have appoint
20 him as a Deputy, and if you have
80 appointed him, you should remove
aim at once. So far as the records
d TINS office show, you have not
Mr.. Redmon or anv
'ther Deputy to assist you in the as
ssessing of property of Bourbon /