The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-07
Equalizing the Tax Burden;
Five Million a Year

ask for it or not. There are whole
rows of homes and offices in Black
foot that have been given exemp-
tions without asking for it. They
have been given these exemptions
so long that it has developed int
a custom with the assessor to exempt
homes for hundreds of dollars
worth of property, furniture, libra
ries, silverware, diamonds and jew
elry, musical instruments, without
even mentioning the subject. AT
our home there are couple OF
thousand dollars worth of this kind
Of property and we are assessed
5000 for it. Granting that all prop
erty is assessed at one-third Its
value and that we were so poor that
we asked for charity in the form of
exemption, then our assessment
should be just about 5000. Under
present conditions we must have
been put in the position of per-
son asking for charity of the asses
sor and receiving it. We remember
now, when reporting to the assessor
once he said something about ex-
emption that we were entitled to.
OF course, that sounded all right
and the exemptions have apparently
gone into effect. There are prob
| ably 5000 homes in this county
| where exemptions have been granted
| in the same way and not asked for.
Every time the assessor has offered
| somebody an exemption, he has
violated the law and is liable on his
bonds for it. The person accepting
the exemption probably does not
know the law and is entirely limo
cent of any wrong-doing in the mat
ter, but the assessor ought to know
the laws governing his own office
and the duties of the office. Three
thousand homes receiving an ex-
emption of $500 each make $780,
000 There are offices of dentists,
lawyers, doctors, plumbers, insur-
ance agents, real estate men, black
smiths, carpenters, mechanics, repair
shops, pool halls, barber shops, soft
drink parlors, cafes and garages In
this county to the number of about
$50, and apparently all of them re-
ceiving the exemption of $500 apiece,
which would amount to 100000,
and in addition to that receiving alb
solute release in many cases for
thousands of dollars worth of equip
ment besides. A good sportsman,
who is engaged in the chiropractic
business in Blackfoot, has, since our
publication of the statement that
professional men were not paying
taxes on their business, published
an advertisement stating that he
had $4,000 worth of equipment in
his sanitarium, thereby handing the
information to the assessor and the
public that he had $4,000 worth of
equipment upon which the assessor
was welcome to assess him If he
would come and attend to it. No
assessor could ask for more; it is
not the duty of the doctor to go and
run him down to tell him that he
should be assessed for $4,000, or one
third of that amount. 1t is the as
SCISSORS business to find him and
according to his present system of
assessing things at one-third their
true value, assess that gentleman
for about $1,000. We do not believe
there is one professional man or
workman out of hundred who, If
he were assessed on a level with
other people would say that he
wanted an exemption or sign on the
dotted line to say that he was de-
sirous of receiving such charity. III
there are any of them that are in
such circumstances that they think !
best to do that, we believe every
body in the county wants them to
have it. If they are perfectly able
to get along without these charities
of exemption, we don't believe there
are more than two or three of them
in the county who would be willing
to accept it when they understand
what it means.
Exen'pting the Poor Girl
Another interesting custom has
developed in doing the assessing; a
custom that grew out of q kindly
considerate thing and has come to be
abused until 1t is working against |
good citizenship. In the settlement
Of the western states it often hap
pens that poor families have rich
relations living in eastern cities or
states. 1t sometimes happens that
these rich relations send hundreds
Of dollars worth of clothing to their
poor relations out on the claims.
Under the law as 1t once read, they
would have to pay taxes on these
secondhand clothes shipped to them
BY the rich relations. In speaking
of secondhand clothing we do not
mean worn-out clothing, but very
Inc suits and dresses worn by
wealthy people at few social func-
ions or worn by business men in Of
Ice work for a season and then dis
;arded because they wanted some
nlng new. Such clothes that hardly
now wear was great blessing to
'ioneers, who had nothing to dress
!p IN when they wanted to 70 to q
ONE AFFAIR, such as q literary society.
funeral, a wedding or a party of
ONE kind. Many a family out on
ne plains could afford NO good ,
!otnes for years. Thousands and
hnr 60 Io - $500