The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-17
Everybody's Comments

One OF the black1OOt men Is try
> ing to get the assessor to assess
Editor Trego's residence on q cor
rected basis. He says that the as
SCISSOR should add at least $4,000 to
: the assessed valuation of the place
on account Of the flowers and $1,000
on account Of the vines that grow up
on the walls of the house. He SAYS
any one who has bower of beauty
should be required to pay for it. A
person who can eat a picn.c dinner
every hot evening In summer unucr
a canopy of vines and IN the shade
with flowers all about MIN as this
man Trego does whenever he wants
to, out to kick on an additional
assessed valuation Of 5000. Any
one who can live in a cool house in
hot weather, house where the walls
are protected and kept cool by green
vines, out not to object to an addi-
tional assessment of $1,000 for the
vines. 1t must save him something
on the ice bill and he is going to go
after the assessor and urge him to
assess Trego enough.
Dodging Tax Payment
Down in South America there is a
country called Paraguay. In fixing
their tax laws they made it so that
building is taxed as soon as COM
pleted, but not until it is completed.
That is the law of the country and
they follow the law. Until the last
few years it was strictly a Catholic
country and none but Catholic
churches were permitted During
the past generation a great many
churches were built, but churches
were not exempt from taxes. The
Catholic people met this situation by
leaving all of the churches unfin-
ished. Every church had some fea-
ture about it that was not completed
and there was no assessment on the
churches. That method of eyading
the law is what some people call
whipping Satan around the stump"
A rather fine question has arisen
concerning some church property at
Blackfoot. At the first ward meet
ing house it used to Be that the street |
was about filled with teams and auto |
mobiles and they needed space to
park the overflow They purchased !
lots across the street south of the
meeting house on which to stand the |
teams and rigs. That relieved the
congestion in the street and was a
good thing for everybody and the
whole public. The question arose
whether this was part of the church
property used for worship and should
1t be exempted from taxation. Ac-
cording to the statutes, any place of
worship might be exempted from
taxes. When the teams, buggies and
cars are parked on these vacant lots, /,
is it worship? The assessor has
judged that it is and they have not
been taxed.
Look Ahead Some
Buggies and white top rigs are
going out OF use and it will soon be so
that only automobiles will need park
ing around the church property and
they do not take up SO much room.
Now since the new tabernacle has
been completed, there will be still
less need for parking room at the
hrst ward meeting house. From the
lime the tabernacle is dedicated this
spring, we predict that there will
De no more use for the lots spoken I
If for purposes of worship. In that t
;ase the church might want to sell q
hese lots and II they do that they Y
become real estate spectators be-
;ause there will naturally be a pro- 4
1t in the lots. Now the question '
rises, is church entitled to buy
property and hold it for speculation Q
md sell it when they can get enough :
o satisfy them and evade the pay
nent of taxes? lie
Look at GOoding lie
Mormons are not the only Idaho lie
'eople who have acquired town lie
that they may sell again. lie
Down at Gooding, Idaho is the lie
iethodist college. Governor Good lie
ng laid out the townsite on one Of he
lis farms. OF course, Governor Re
iooding had plenty of lots to sell. he
When the Methodist college was lie
eeking location, he got busy with lie
onations and subscriptions to get it lie
ocated at Gooding. He gave them lie
tract of city lots besides some acre lie
&c at the edge Of town. So long as |lE
hese lots belong to this institution E
hat is operated for educational pur- E
oses, they are exempt from taxation. liz
Tut the G0oding college can sell one
t these lots II it wants to and put lE
ne money into the treasury. The Il
ontract between Mr.. Gooding and lE
ne Gooding college, Is that when Il
lese lots are sold, one half of the IL
honey goes to the college and the he
Their half goes to Mr.. Gooding. Now lE
le qeustion arises, is it right for E
enator Gooding to place these lots he
the keeping of the Methodist COL he
'ge for term of years, thereby IIE
'cape taxation, have the college act lE
real estate agent to sell them for |E
Inn without commission and to sell tE
lem at the slightly increased price n
hich the college could get for lots lE
compared with other people. OF HE
'urse the Methodist college could 70 lib
prospective home builders and put |E
talk to them to get them to buy liz
is of the college and thereby help E
% cause Of education along and liz
her people holding city lots for sale @
ould be at q disadvantage in max E
g the sales. They could not sell |E
the same price; they would have |E
take less for their 1ofa or yoiea ll=