The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-10
Equalizing the Tax Burden;
Five Million a Year

I owners of livestock we are digging
into the question just as deep and as
broad as we know how. Every day
we know more about how to do it
than we did the day before.
During the year 1920 there were
1869 cattle mortgaged in Bingham
county on which not one cent of taxes
was paid. These cattle we're mort
gagged to secure debts amounting to
$214,8O0 and not nickel's worth
Of that was reported to the assessor.
In absolute justice to these men and
to the other people who pay their
taxes for them we should say that
these cattle men ought to lose title
to their cattle. We are saying to
them what we said of the people who
own diamonds and paid no taxes on
them; If somebody should come along
and steal that 1859 cattle they would
not hesitate a minute to call the
sheriff and the other officials of the
country to help find their stock and
punish the thieves, Notwithstanding
they had not paid their share of the
expense of government to afford
them that protection. If these cattle
were stolen, the owners CT them
should not have the cheek to ask for
any aid from the county or state in
| running down and furnishing the
thieves. Whenever a man rings the
sheriff's office to report the theft of
any of his property the sheriff ought
to ring the auditors office and ask
them to investigate quickly to see
| if the man paid any taxes on that
property and if he did not he should
be left to paddle his own canoe. If
he only reported part Of the property
to the assessor, say one-half of it,
and II the county spent $1,000 run
ming down and Furnishing the thieves,
he ought to have to pay $500 of that
expense, then he ought to be pun
ished as tax dodger besides. In adj
dition to this 1859 cattle there were
few cattle that were mortgaged on
which taxes were paid. What would
you think of a man If he gave a mort
gage on thirty-six head of cattle and
represented that he owned them and
that they were in Bingham county
and then reported one head of cattle
to the assessor, or If he mortgaged
10 head of cattle and told the as
SCISSOR that he had forty cattle, what
would you think of him and his
! patriotism? We can go out and put
our finger on that kind of patriot
and we are going to keep our eye On
them for the year 1921 to see if they
report to the assessor exactly what
they own. Then we are going to
keep our eye on the books to see If
! it is carried thru and he actually pays
the taxes on what he owns. If there
is slip anywhere, we are going to
see who made the slip and see
whether he is responsible for it
under the law. When people dodge
the assessment of their property
there is generally way to fasten the
responsibility upon them.
Sheep Men Dodge Taxes
The sheep men were in the dodg-
ing business in the year 1920 and
they have our permission to try dodg.
ing in 1921. We can go out and put
Jul HA6cI Ou LOTIy Sucop ulcu Ill ILLS
county who lodged taxes in the year
1920 We can go out and put our
finger on forty sheep men in this
county who are not going to dodge
their taxes in 1921. During the year
1920 these gentlemen mortgaged
227,S00 head of sheep to secure the
payment of $S79,440 of indebted
ness. Usually the persons taking the
mortgage requires a mortgage on
property that is worth far more than
the amount of the debt secured. We
are unable to say and probably no
other man is able to say what was
the true value of those sheep for it
changes at intervals due to falling
markets, but it is safe to say that the
sheep were considered by the mort
gagees to be worth no less than the
amount they were mortgaged for,
which is $879,440. Not one of these.
sheep was reported to the assessor
as being in existence tho they could
not have given the mortgage without
swearing that these sheep we're in ex-