The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1921-05-20
(Mr. Home OlUner)
ARE THE TAX COAT!
MIR. HOME OWNER:
4VA in The tax hu.;pes.

AVA in the tax business.
And you will continue to be the goat even If
the operating expenses of city, state, county,
school and port government reduced to the
minimum.
Not for one moment must there be any let-up
in the campaign to cut expenses. We want them
slashed, and we want them slashed to the bone!
But we do not intend to stop there
Remember this, Mr.. Taxpayer, and The Star
gives il to you straight:
Ii is physical impossibility to reduce the OPP
Grating expenses to such an extent that YOU,
MIR. Home Owner, will be substantially relieved
from your present onerous tax burden.
Keep in mind the fact that if every county en-
ploye, elected and appointed, worked for moth
ing, the tax levy could be reduced only mills.
This Is 81 thousand or a saving to you of $40 q
year If you own S. 900 home, and but s. if you
own $500 home. And you know mighty
well that EVERY employe cannot Be dropped.
II 100 employees can be dropped from the pay
roll in King county, It will be sensational cut,
and YOU KNOW 1T.
Yet that would save only $50, 900 q year, or
less than Y, mill in the city of Seattle, less than
25 cents thousand, less than $l.25 to the IS 900
home, less than 65 cents to the s., 500 home.
Plainly, Mr.. Home Owner, you must insist on
more than mere slashing of expenses. You've
got to howl for these economies with all your
might but that's only the BEGINNING of your
tax solution.
You've got to howl much louder, and far lusti-
cr, to divide this cost of government, no matter
what the amount may be- more fairly than it now
is divided.
That's your REAL problem, Mr.. Home Owner.
and don't forget it Don't let any put up a
smoke-screen to steer you away from this main
course.
YOU, Mr.. Home Oacner, are poyi,g tares
that many Of our bankers and brokers should
pay. YOU, Mr.. Home Oloner, can't dodge your
real estate tar, ichile, on the other hand, man
may o1Cn 100000 IN bank securities and de-
posits-in stocks und bonds and mortgages and
similar intestine ts-and not pay red cent IN
state, county, cit, school or port tares.
Are you the goat Mr.. Home Owner, or are
you not?
Cut the cost of government by all means.
Prune, trim, slice, slash everywhere, and yet you
will remain the goat unless the tax burden is
more equitably distributed.
Get this, Mr. Home Owner and Mr. Property
Owner You are paying 71-mill tax so per cent
valuation, So smill tax on full valuation. In San
Francisco, they are paying 15l2 mill tax, less than
one-haf our rate
Is it because San Francisco is run more economically
than Seattle? Don't be foolish. They have extravagant
officials there well here, and they also have
payers leagues there protesting and kicking about
waste and extravaganza.
But their tax rate is nevertheless less than
One-haf of ours, because their taxes borne
by ALL classes, and not on real estate and prop
erty alone
The Oregon Voter" of April 23 1921, makes this
very plain 1t quotes the latest available official tax
figures. They the 1919 figures.
In 1919, the operating expenses IN San Francisco for
all governmental purposes totalled $12,126,S13 or
S2430 per person. In Seattle the same year, it
$S028,334 S26.44 per person.
The actual operating expenses slightly more
than 50 per person in Seattle, about per
cent more But the tax rate was more than 100 per
cent above San Francisco's, it being 2647 mills here
and only II. .05 in San Francisco.
Why should the tax rate be 100 per cent higher
while the operating expenses are only per cent
larger?
Here is the answer
They spread their taxes in San Francisco on a
larger amount of wealth. The assessed valuation
of San Francisco for 1919, was S562, ,27S,707. or
S1126.S5 per person. In Seattle il was S227 $685.
1872, or only S75021 per person
When there is wealth to tax, the tax rate is
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