Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1921-11-24
GOVERNMENT
COST IS HIGH
STATE TAX COMMISSIONER GIVES
TALK ON TAX CONDITIONS
In THE STATE
SERIOUS HANDICAP TO CITIZENS
One Out of Every Sixty People Is Paid
BY the State.

John u. Robertson, director of the
state bureau of taxation and a salaried
offlclal OF the state of Idaho, in a re-
cent address delivered at Jerome, Ida
ho, told some plain homely truths and
facts that 1t is good for the people OF
Idaho to know and hear, says the Ida
no Falls Times-Register
He maintains that the people OF the
state of Idaho are taxing themselves
to the limit. beyond the limit, to the
point where payment is becoming i'm
possible and sounds the warming that
the people themselves who are respon-
sible must spend less money.
Mr.. Robertson, who has made a
study OF tax matters for years, is very
plain spoken and knows what he is
talking about.
He says that one out of every 60 odd
people in the state of Idaho is a sal
aried public official, serving the peo-
pie OF the state in some public capa-
city and for which he and she receives
a salary sufficient to support them.
The number includes school teachers,
who are paid from the public funds.
In spite of the statements made and
they are true, Idaho as a state levies
less tax than any state of the north
west for state purposes. About 81
cents out of every 800 is used for
state purposes, a rate that is low and
one that no one can object to.
II is the multiplicity of tax creating
bodies that runs the bill so high, with
county boards of. commissioners.
school boards, members of town and
village trustees, directors of highway
and irrigation districts all with the
power to levy and create taxes and
with no central body governing, we
are running away with ourselves.
Each body empowered to create taxes
and levy assessments without knowl-
edge or information of what other tax
creating bodies are doing creates a
sum total that is staggering.
Members of these tax creating bodies
do not make the taxes of their own
free will and accord 1t is the result
OF the people themselves asking that
taxes be levied for improvements until
we have reached a tax bill that is al
most impossible to pay.
Mr. Robertson says that the peonle
can not afford the orgy OF public
spending in which they are indulging
and they can not produce on their
the tax bill.
The state tax commissioner asks the
people to take the blame and place il
where it belongs; that the people
themselves are extravagant in their
demands for elaborate school buildings
and elaborate school systems with all
the frills and trimming that people
used to get along without. miles of
o. fn h.,sI
state purposes, inspections and regu-
lations that we could do largely with
out and all of which costs money.
Mr.. Robertson makes a plea for less
spending created by a lessened de-
mand on the part of the people.
In his address Mr.. Robertson said:
If all of the 1921 hay crop were sold
at the $4 figure it would not pay the
(tax) charge. Neither would the
wheat crop at prevailing prices. Fur.
ther, to raise the amount of the bill
would necessitate the sale of all the
livestock of the state at prevailing
prices except the horses, and would
even take part of them"
Mr. Robertson said the people are
the responsible parties. They have
been demanding all these various ac-
tivities which create elaborate
schools and educational programs.
hard surfaced roads, inspection and
regulation of this, that and the other,
requiring a big list of salaried employ
es Too many laws are passed.
Legislatures, boards of county COM
missioners, highway boards and city
and village boards are importuned by
the people for money for these various
objects. The officials usually defer
to this clamor, to degree at least.