Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-12-13
Personal Mention.
HARD ON MERCHANTS

HARD ON MERCHANTS
The Assessed Valuation Of Personally
Needs Re.a adjustment.
The Yorkville Enquirer says:
"One result Of the new system Of
assessing mercantile stocks for tax
alton has been to emphasize the in
equality Of the assessment Of person.
atty. Theoretically, Of course, the ul-
innate consumer has to pay. The idea
is that taxes have to be added on to
the cost or the goods, etc. But even
that does not equalize things. for very
often. the burden unjustly falls upon
the merchant. Including household
and kitchen furniture, silverware, and
the like, stocks and bonds, there is
more personal property in South Caro-
lima that Is untaxed than there is that
Is taxed"
That's putting 1t mildly.
The nerchant's taxes are far heay-
Ter than they ought to be, because he
is toting some Of the load thatlought to
be carried by property now either es-
Gaping taxation or taxed far below the
devel of justice.
The Joint Special Committee on Rev.
enue and, Taxation reported to the
legislature this year that It seems ito
be a conservative estimate to place the
value of all taxable Intangible property
in South Carolina now escaping taxa
tion at not less than three hundred
million dollars. which is more than
seventy per cent. of the present assess
ed value of all property OF every
character in the state" -
Three hundred million dollars worth
of,-.personal property, now p evading
that is only part OF
the property now untaxedg The mer-
chant, the business, man, the real estate
owner. and ali other citizens who are
honest taxpayers are taxed far more
heavily than they should be, all be-
cause the Legislature Of South Carolina
In the past has been dominated by
ignorance and political cowardice. 4
The personal property tax In the
state is an utter farce.
Consider some facts from the comp
troller generals report in 1919.
Charleston, with the largest popuia-
tion in the state, returned for taxation
274 pianos, organs, monographs ana
yictrolas, while spartanburg returned
2,4o7 and Greenville 2,2sS.
AbbeyiIle county returned three gold
or silver watches at total value OF
ss5. while the adjoining county Of Laa-
rens returned 234 watches Of the total
value of $3,65s.
On the other hand, AbbeviLe return
ed moneys, credits and evidences OF
c, edit in the sum of ssO,sSO, while Lau-
rens returnerd none at all, evidently
being unable to sell the watches won
from the Abrevillians.
Abbeyille returned all its farming
implements and portable machinery az
si95, while Newberry returned tna'
class Of property in the value OF VS.
TIC.
Nevertheless, Abbeville returned OF
bonds and stocks not exempt from tax
alton $64,S4s, while Newberry had only
$500 in this sort of stuff. ~
Clarendon returned six watches, OF a
total yaiue of 1926 and 3,171 dogs OF a
value of $31, ,71O, while Cherokee return
cd only Is dogs Of the total value Oh
1925, but reported S7S watches OF the
value of s4,Os5. In Cherokee there Is a
highly developed taste for personal
adornment, while Clarendon has strong
proclivities for the chase.
This unanswerable indictment OF our
rotten tax system was handed down py
the joint special legislative committee:
"That q vast amount Of the taxable
property Of the state Is not upon tne
tax books at all is not only well KNOWN
hut Is acauiesced in and openly 1usti-
fed by the ma. rity Of our citizens
All of which can mean but one thing-
that the operation of the tax system IN
Sc nth Carolina is in point Of fact as
much an outlaw business as the genue
art of cracking safes or OF distiinhs
moonshine whisky"
Merchants, other business men. and
taxpayers will be taxed more heaViiy
every year until the legislature OF
South Carolina, whipped on by puoiic
sentiment, develops CUTS enough to stop
this system of extortion, whereunder
the honest man is sandbagged and loot
ed and the tax dodger goes unharmed'
-Greenville Piedmont.