Mexico weekly ledger., 1921-12-15

farmer by Audrain's Representative
Judge ". W. Bolts explaining pres
ent tax conditions, will be of interest
TO taxpayers as it deals with the much
questioned 40 per cent increase"
Mexico, Mo-,
December 9Th, 1921.
Mr.. George R. Mosby,
Gazette, Mo.
Dear Friend:-
| have your letter of Dec. 5th, 1921,
in which you say, My taxes are about
double what they were last year.
What is the reason? / did not have
as much personal property as | had
last year. / see Sec. 1856 page 67S,
says that they cannot tax more than
ten per cent more than last year."
In the first pace, if you refer to it
you will Sc that it limits only the ag-
gregate amount that shall be levied
for strictly county revenue and does
not limit the amount that may be col
lected from any one citizen. That law
has nothing to do with the state rate,
the road rate, the road and bridge
rate, the hospital bond rate nor the
school rate. Now if you will do a lit
tie figuring on your tax receipt you
will see what has hit you
Your state rate is ten cents on the
hundred dollars valuation as against
18 cents last year, for county revenue
it is 20 cents this year last year Al,
road tax 10 cents this year, 10 cents
last year (The law compels this rate
to be levied by the county court,) road
and Bridge tax is II cents this year,
20 cents last year, Hospital Bond tax
TN cents this year, none last year.
Your school tax is what you fixed it
for yourselves in ,'our district, last
At that time you probably did
not know what was coming from the
state board of equalization, and got
your school rate too high. This fact
may account for your neighbours tax
not being increased like yours. He
may live in a different district.
The thing that has thrown things
out Of joint and taken the taxpayers
breath is the action of the state board
If equalization on date April list,
1921. This beard, composed of the
Governor, Attorney General, State
Auditor and State Treasurer, on the
,aid date got together and arbitrarily
ixed things up to suit themselves for
'ech county in the state. Here is the
'ackage they handed to Audrain
Increased valuation for taxes,
N farm lands 100 per cent, town lots
co per cent, on the several classes of
.,ersonal property increases varying
rom As to 100 per cent. Some coun-
les Jared worse than Audrain, espec-
ally in the matter of farm land valu-
ton, others Jared better. The great
ity of St. Louis escaped with a ten
Ter cent increase in real estate values
Monroe and Galloway counties were
unasked a raise of 25c per cent
n land values for taxation purposes.
Vas this punishment for their big
.emocratic majorities?
Seriously, that action by the COVER
or and his associates on the Board
f Equalization was an arbitrary and
Ugh handed exercise of power that
the s~everest condemnation.
t penalized the land owner without a
and at a time when he was
east able to bear it. 1t threw the
multitude of tax levying bodies of
he state into confusion and let down
he bars for extravaganza, wherever
here was a disposition to be extrav-
giant. The governor and his asso-
iates are responsible for the increase
n taxation and are now trying to
out of it by cowardly laying
he blame on local taxing bodies.
w ". Bolts.