The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-17
Equalizing the Tax Burden;
Five Million a Year
Chapter VII.

times investigating, the, tax business
and passing the information to tn,
/; public. Some people say Il. L.. onl!
advertising that. we have bad condi
! tions In Bingham county, and 1t IL
bound ito keep settlers away. Some
say It will hurt the development o.
the. country; some say they think II
{ VIII make bad feelings among tht
people. Some. suggest that it will
make enemies for the paper and hur,
4 the business. All Of these things are
probably true in some degree. Wash
day is usually considered disagree.
liable day, but many people live thru
it, and good many people ought not
to postpone 1t and stuff it as much as
they do.
People are queer. You are queer
. yourself. Editors are probably the
only exceptions! Sometimes a per-
son writes an article for publication
and We editor does not allow it to be
published, or be publishes an article
that offends some one. Just as likely
las not that someone snubs We editor s
wife or sister the next time they
7, meet, as if his wife or sister was re-
sponsible for his own cussedness.
We never could see any reason
why professional men should not
pay some taxes on their business the
same as anyone else. For example,
there is the Palace of Sweets occupy
ing little bit of room at, the rear
of the Club Cigar store, and it was
taxed $1,000, while of the thirteen
lawyers in the county only three of
1 them were assessed at all for their
business.
John w. Jones was assessed, $4,000
on his office library and Thomas
& Andersen. $500 on theris.
L. Ivan Jensen of Shelley, w. A.
! Lee, w. C.. Allen, R. w. Adair, A. S.
Dickinson, W., A. Beakley, Guy
Stevens, George F. Gagon, and G.. F.
-Hansbrough of Blackfoot and 7. S.
] Becker of Aberdeen. Some of them
were assessed for real estate, but if
any of them paid any taxes at all on
their offices, Libraries or anything in
the office, we were unable to find it.
Real Estate Men Not Paying
| There seem to be about eight real
estate men in Blackfoot and they
are in the same position as the law
yers. Some of them have real estate
and they are assessed for that like
other people, but apparently they
carry none of the burden of taxation
by reason of their being in business
and having Offices open and entitled
to the several kinds of protection
which the government furnishes. We
do net find that any of them own the
offices which they operate in, so their
only contribution to sustaining the
community seems to be the amount
they pay in rent and that does not
reach the public treasury excepting
as it passes thru other hands
II person rents piece of bust
ness property and does not pay any
taxes at all, then whatever tax is paid
on the property is merely for the pro-
lection that the government affords |
to the property itself. AS matter
Of fact, the person operating the
property has police protection, fire
protection, sprinkling service, burg
larry protection and various other
things that cost money for which he /
pays nothing. 1t would take a per
capita tax to meet his case if the ex-
pense of government is to be justly
proportioned among the people who
receive its benefits
We refer to the following named
real estate men having offices that
do not appear on the tax list: N. J.
j. H. Mcdonald, F. C.
Parkinson, ]. A. Stewart, Pierce
Egan and two that went out of bust
ness earlier in the year, R. B. Fer
ris and M. Boyle. Then there is the
firm Of the Idaho Irrigated Lands
that is partly real estate
and partly loan and insurance bust
ness which we are unable to find on
the tax list. Looking further into
we have the large offices
of c. S. Beebe not paying any taxes
altho Mr.. Beebe pays taxes on real
estate. If man maintains real
estate or insurance or loan office or
all of them and has valuable property
running into the hundreds or thou
sands of dollars such as typewriters,
lire proof safes or vaults, desks,
chairs, filing cabinets and the like,
we see no reason why he should not
be assessed on that property and if s
he is entitled to exemption covering
MS tools, instruments, books or any
hing of the kind that exemptions
ire provided on, let him apply for
such exemptions in the manner pre-
,cribed by law. Just the same as the
owner of diamonds and jewelry must
20 and make application for exemp-
ion or they are not entitled to it. {
The assessor has no right to come
along and look at $500 worth of
and pass it up just becauseJ s
hey are entitled to some sort of ex-
,mption. The assessor has been CIV l
ng exemptions when they were not a
applied for which is contrary to the
aw and he is liable on his bonds for 9
them. The way to get an 8
Is to fill out an applica-
ion blank and ask for the exemption q
n writing. i
Druggists Are Assessed !
There are three drug stores in
3lackfoot and each Of them is asses ;,
ed. We give below the assessment y
IS applied to them or their owners 9
nd part of it may cover residence !
property according to the items in =