The Devils Lake world., 1921-08-24
1920 State Tax Per Capita In North Dakota
Was Only $267, Shown By Official Records
Commissioner Wallace Refutes Feoods
. Dakota. Facts Given Out.

i. v. A. charges that the state taxes
Ia North Dakota have been tripled;i
the past few years are knocked into a
cooked hat by Tax Commissioner
George E. Wallace in pamphlet just:
isaaed by him, entitled "Tax Admins
tfation nfNorth Dakota In this;
pamphlet 4 Commissioner Wallace
quotes official records showing that.
tie per capita st6fe, tax in North Da-
kpta was only $2.67 in 1920 as COM
pared with $4.63 in 1919. This is a
reduction of more than AZ per cent in
tue state taxes in one year by the
NVnpartisan League administration.
Ms all other states the records show
thst taxes were greatly increased.
according to the: official figures
quoted by Commissioner Wallace,
North Dakota's state tax is the low
ext Of any in this section Of the
country. Missouri and Kansas show
q trifle lower state tax per capita
than North Dakota, while Minnesota
in 1919 the state tax was nearly 81
per person and in Michigan it was
nearly $3.50 for every man, woman
and child residing in the state. Re-
ports from almost all states show that
taxes have been increased every year
since. Minnesota's state tax this year
is: the highest since it became state,
being about 81 per capita, according
to semi official reports.
State Tax Is Small
Commissioner Wallace's figures also
show that while the state taxes were
reduced by almost one-half in 1920,
township, village, county and school
leviesf shot straight upward. In 1919
the total of taxes collected by the
county treasurers was $3O,187, 1863, ac-
cording to the pamphlet. Of this
amount $3,742,616 only was turned
over to the state treasurer as state
taxes. In 1920 the total tax collec-
tions by the counties were $31, 1886, ,5O4
and Of this only $2,857,911, or less
than nine cents on each dollar, was
turned into the state treasury.
These figures show that while the
cost of local government, township
county, school, city and village, has
steadily mounted, the state govern
ment cost the taxpayers less in 1926
than in 1919. This cost is being fur.
ther reduced this year, according te
reports, and this in spite of the large
sums raised to pay soldier bonuses.
Lower Taxes on Land.
However, Commissioner Wallace
points out that the fact that the state
tax levy has been reduced does moi
mean that the expenses of the stat.
government are less than they uset
to'|be. The reduction in the direc
levy comes as result of the Non
partisan League state administra
tion's efforts to equalize the tax bur
den of the people. More than 1000,
600 of the cost of state government il
1920 was raised through special taxes
income taxes, special tax ON oil, OF
corporations and license fees. Thes,
tax laws have been fought in tn
courts by such concerns as the Stan
dard Oil and others but the state ha
won out and during the past year col
lected more than $1,O0O,OOO in sucl
taxes.
On the matter of special take
Commissioner Wallace says in hi
pamphlet: ar.z
Shows Per Capita Tax.
Among the interesting tax fact
brought out in Commissioner Wal
1ace's pamphlet is statement of tn
per capita state tax in North Dakot
each year from 1890 to 1920, inclu
sive. Here it is:
IS 81