The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-08-26
SUPERVISORS ARE NOT
ALTOGETHER TO BLAME
High Tax Question lnteliigently
Discussed by Newspaper

pay CT VI A1Ollucs COuIty. 1t sccnl
that Rex severely criticized tn
Board of Supervisors for increase O
taxes and tax values and for it
seeming extravaganza and domi
neering spirit in that county
The article is the editorial an
sWer of the Lexington Advertiser Il
the criticisms of Rex. Many tax
PAYERS are making similar criticism:
of boards of supervisors in theil
respective counties. For this rea.
son the Weekly is publishing the
Advertisers answer to Rex. The
nrticie throws world of light on
causes for existing high taxes and
discloses the people themselves to
be primarily responsible for condi-
tions that bring them about.
| elimination and recrimination will
do no good in relieving existing
high tax conditions. The people
themselves must get right and set
| the pace for economical govern
ment. AS long as they continue to
vote bonds they must continue to
pay high taxes to meet interest and
liquidate the bonds.
But read what the Advertiser has
to say:
As a taxpayer, the Advertiser
knows full we'll that taxes have in
creased rapidly in the past few
years and that in that time tax
values have also increased. Not
only is that true. but the general
county expenses have increased.
and putting all of these increases
together makes our taxes enormous
ly high compared to what they
were IN former years.
But is the Board of Supervisors
altogether to blame for this condi-
tion? AS citizens let US look back
and see what has brought about
this state of affairs.
Under the name of progress, we
have for some years been indiscrim-
nstelY voting for the issuance of
bonds for all kinds of purposes, but
mostly for improved roads, and
with every bond issue there was
bound to be an additional tax, for
the bonds are all interest bearing,
To meet the principal and interest
on these bonds taxes had to be as
sessed, and there are but two
sources from which taxas can be
collected. These are from real estate
and personal property. When there
were no bond issues and the valua-
ton of property was low. it did not
require as mnch revenue to meet
the general expense to the county
as it does when We have voted
these burdens on ourselves, and to
meet these increased demands the
Board of Supervisors were necessa-
rily compelled to increase the tax
levy year by year.
Not only have We voted during
the past few years hundreds of
thousands of dollars in bonds for
good roads. but our public schools
have come in for increased appro.
priations for remodeling buildings.
building new ones and also for con-
solidated school buildings and the
transportation of the school chill
dren to the consolidated schools.
To meet these expenses. additional
taxes had to be raised. as we have
said there are but two sources from
which the money could be had
real estate and personal property.
Two and three years ago We took
but little thought of what burdens
we were building that would have
to be met under directly opposite
conditions TO what they were then.
We are now feeling the burden.
and. like we always do, we are for
getting that we ourselves are some
what responsible for them, for the
Advertiser assumes that its friend
like the rest just voted for every
bond issue that was presented. for
then we had the money and never
gave the proverbial rainy day. a
thought. If Rex voted against the
issuance OF any or part of these
bond Issues, then he Is not to
blame for their issuance. If on the
other hand. he voted for them, then
he voted just as much additional
taxation upon himself and every