The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-02-21
Various Views on
+ Tax Situation by
Local Business Men

Mayor Thorstenberg read the
article showing that the real estate
men are not paying any taxes on their
business and he reported to the edi-
tor, saying, That's right, why should
we not be taxed the same as other
people; every man should pay some
taxes; II he has no property he should
pay an occupation tax or per capita
tax. They do in all the older states
where they handle the tax question
successfully. We who merely pay tax
on our residences and no tax on our
business are not carrying our share
of the public burden"
C. 8. Beebe, after reading that his
office and business were not taxed,
reported that it was true. He said
he had paid his tax bill just as he re-
ceived it from the assessor and ne
assumed that the assessor knew what
to tax him for. He said the assessor
had not come to him but once that he
could remember in the time he has
been taxpayer in Blackfoot and the
rest of the time he merely sent In
his check for the amount that the tax
statement called for. Regarding his
office and fixtures, he said he would
paw very cheerfully if he were taxed,
but he did not consider it his place
to run the assessor down to tell him
what he had in the office. He had
been under the impression that the
insurance company he represented
had paid the tax when they paid the
several different kinds of licenses re-
uuired by the state. He says that
each insurance company doing bust
ness in Idaho pays the state, fees
amounting to from $50 up for their
state license and they pay fee of
So apiece for each of their agents in
the state regardless of whether the
agents do any business or not, then
they pay a fee to have their business
inspected at intervals by the state to
see whether the company is sound or
not; they pay tax on the premiums
collected from their customers in the
state and then in form the people OF
the state as to their resources, they
are required to publish in some
newspaper at the capital, an annual
statement of their financial standing.
Mr.. Beebe says he has typewriters,
filing cabinets and other things in
the office which, if piled up at an
auction and sold off to the highest
bidders would bring something or
other, he did not know how much,
but we told him that did not go; it
is not a question of what he could
get for the office furniture and equip
ment if it were thrown out on the
sidewalk and auctioned off, it was a
question of what it cost him that
determined it's value, with dedeuc-
tons made for depreciation from use.
We claim that office furniture of
today runs anywhere from the price
of one chair up to few hundred or
q few thousand dollars, and it is the
business of the assessor to investi-
gate.
F. M. Taylor Talks
F. M. Taylor, the carpenter and
says he has been visiting
around and talking with many people
on the subject of taxation and they
thoroly approve of the campaign of
which The Republican is
He says he finds every
body willing to pay their share of
the taxes, but like the colonists of
Did they object strenuously to paying
The other fellows taxes.
Mr.. Taylor says he has served
several terms as assessor in Iowa,
nine years as member of the school
board and number of years as
county supervisor and that when he
zane here he was very much i'm
pressed with the haphazard and Slip
;hod methods of conducting the
county business. He says they do
heir assessing by the township unit
)lan in some of the older states,
where he has been and the township
assessor has the cooperation and
lid of many citizens in the township
md that all property is listed care
ully without any of our loose ways
IT allowing exemptions that are
lever asked for and passing up some
'ffices and homes without investiga-
ions and letting the alleged exemp-
ion take care of the whole matter.