Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1922-05-03
COUNTY ASSESSORS
TOLD OF DUTIES
All But Three Assessors of County
Attend Meeting Held Here
Last Thursday z,s@

The assessors Of the county met at
the Court House April 9th, for the
purpose of receiving instructions from
Mr.. Lord Of the State Tax Commits
sion in regard to their duties in as
sessing property this year.
Mr.. Lord explained to the assessors
: that the only way that the burden of
taxation could be equitably distributed
among the taxpayers Of any communi-
ty was by full listing Of all proper
ty subject to taxation and it's assess
ment in accordance with the laws of
the state He stated that extensive
Investigations by the tax commission
of this state and of other states prov
ed conclusively that any deviation
from the statutory rule nearly always
results in rank injustice, and this in
justice, the speaker said, usually falls
upon the people Of moderate means.
The only proper or feasible way that
assessors can protect honest taxpayers
from unjust taxation is by strict adj
herence to the assessment laws Of the
state.
The speaker explained that under
the laws of the state as they now
stand, iron ore is assessed at so per
cent of it's full and true value:
Farm lands and all other rural
lands are assessed at SO Is per cent
of full value;;"~and city and village
real estate at 40 per cent of full
value:
Household goods, wearing apparel,
furniture, musical instruments, sewing
machines, and everything in fact that
- sy,t En RI
tify it, are assessed at % per cent
of full value
Merchandise live stock, tools, i'm
plements and machinery of all kinds,
manufacturers materials and manu-
featured products, and all articles
used in any kind of business ~ pro-
fession are assessed at SO 1-3 percent
of full value; and
Street railway property, the equip
ment of public service corporations,
elevators and warehouses on railroad
lands, bank stock, and all other prop
erty, as 40 per cent Of full value.
He. said that money on hand or on
.aanosit in Il hank ;i- elsewhere; book
accounts, promissory notes not, Sc
cured by real estate mortgages which
are recorded. in Minnesota and credits
of every kind; and stock in corpora
lions when the property Of the cor
poration is not taxed in this state,
are all subject to assessment at their
true, and full value and taxed at the
low fiat rate Of 3 mills on the dollar,
the lowest rate applied to any class
Of property in the state. -
The speaker said that money and
credits are peculiarly the property
of prosperous and well-tO-do people
and of course like other property sub
ject to taxation, should all be as
sessed; but. that i'll spite Of the small
tax imposed upon such property, a
very large amount of it. IS concealed
from the assessors and escapes taxa
ton. x. ~~
Mr. Lord declared that many people
commit wilful perjury in listing such
property and are a type of criminals
much more dangerous to good govern
ment than bOotleggers Or chicken
thieves. Certainly no one pretending
to be good citizen should attempt
to evade this tax He urged the as
SCISSORS to use all honorable means tC
secure a full listing of all such prop
erty. 81 81 '...ee@ S a--.g.e
The speaker said that owing to the
decreased purchasing power Of the
dollar and other abnormal conditions
brought about by the war; and tc
the wide expansion Of governmental
r activities, especially in road building
and in the development Of schools and
school facilities, taxes have increased
at very rapid pace during the past
few years. In 1901 the tax levy pei
capita in this state for all purposes
local, school, county, and state was
$9.O5. In 1911 it had increased t.
$16.24, and in 1921 it had climbed
to $44.73, an increase Of It's per cen,
In ten years. During this same ten
year period the wealth Of the state
increased, as nearly as we can ascer
tain, sixty per cent. 1t is painfully
evident from these figures that taxes
are increasing much more rapidly
than wealth, a. condition that is really
startling. Much the larger part Of
this increase is local in character anG
under the direct control Of local au
thorities and Of the people themselves
It is a gratifying thing to be able tx
state, however, that state tax rate!
instead of increasing having actually
decreased during the past two years
In 1919 the state tax rate was BIZ
mills; in 1920 IT. was 5.42 mills, ant
the present year it is down to AZ:
mills. While the new activities re
sponsible for most Of the increase il
taxes are probably all merftorious, i
is very grave question whether tht
load is not becoming too heavy TO
taxpayers OF moderate means to carry
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