The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-21
The Tax Forum
Everybody's Comments

! Last December mass meeting was
held at Blackfoot to consider what
should be done about taxes, the prin-
/ ciple trouble being that people com.
planned that they did not have money
to pay the taxes and that it was de-
sirable to make some arrangement
by which the time of payment might
be postponed. Nothing could be done
about it excepting thru the legisla-
ture and this county went on record
by the adoption of a resolution de-
claring against the postponement of
the payment of taxes for the reason
that many complications would arise
in conducting the state, county and
school district governments and pay
ing their bills if postponement were
made. The people in the mass meet
ing had the vision to feresee these
things when it was thoroly discussed
and that is the reason for the resolu-
ton. :.
: When the legislature met, Senator
Witty of Bannock county introduced
a measure seeking to bring about
the postponement of the payment of
taxes and that measure fingered
along until the session was finished
and it came up to the governor few
days ago to be signed or rejected.
1t will be very instructive to people
to read what the governor said when
he dictated his reasons for vetoeing
the bill Here is what he said about
it.:
"The bill, if signed, would become
effective at this date. The situation
is entirely different than it would
have been had this become law dur
ing the first two or three days of the
session, and had the bill provided for
taking care of the new situations
created by it. At that time the de-
linquencies under the law had not
in any manner been handled by the
counties, no payments had been
made to the counties on the delin-
quency certificates, no penalties had
been collected, neither had the in
terest as provided by the old law
been collected. At this late date, in
all instances where the taxes were
delinquent, delinquency certificates
were issued and sales made to the
county. Since that time there has
been collected in many counties much
of the delinquent taxes, including the
interest and penalties provided under
the old law
This money so collected as inter-
est and penalties, in the amounts pro-
vided under the old law, have been
apportioned to the various taxing dis
tricts, such as county, school district,
city, highway districts, etc. For ex-
ample, in Ada county $4,000 includ-
Ing such interest and penalties, has
been collected and so distributed.
IF this new law were to become
effective and would be upheld by the
courts, all these taxpayers who have
paid the penalty and the interest rate
IS provided by the old law, would
become entitled to refund to them
IT that portion of the money SO paid,
which would be In excess of the
required to be paid by this
lew law. There is no provision
whatever by this law, or anv other
hat has been called to my attention,
AoASDJ SA~AAAo OOu1u VIC ul0u anu Cn1S
money repaid to those who have paid
he old penalty and interest. Neither
there any provision in this bill, or
4 any general law, giving the county ,
Ulcers the authority or right to can :
Ell the sales of the delinquency GER ,
licates which have been made to the :
ounty, or to change what they have 9
one in any way, since they did the
anne under valid existing statute
"The purpose and intent of this G
,atute was no doubt a good one, but c
has failed to contain the necessary t
rovisions to take care of the situa- t
ons which such change in the law
ould create.
Il therefore disapprove the same"
Fun on Blackfoot River h
A story is told among the irriga- y
RS about how the trouble started ),
at resulted in the government ow- !.
g Bingham county, $1,000 or $1,000
the water masters expenses for s.
'verning the flow of the Blackfoot n
yer in irrigating season. In 1919 a
e water master was a man who let b