The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1922-03-02

l -eN0 WY Ao<sNSAS ~ AS~s S~AA go
ly hold their farms and why No poo
man can ever hope to own one. b
cause a man dare not contract to bu!
a farm on one-fourth, one-third o.
one-half down because with your full
valuation the state jumps on him fo'
taxes on the full value Of all the farm
when he only own a part Of it. Where
is your justice in this? You say thi:
is the law. Yes, and you and your
state board of equalization knew it
Then why did you not see to having
this law changed before you wrecked
us with this unequal burden of taxa
ton?
There is another law on our books
of which you are bound to have
known, viz: that bank stock can on
ly be assessed at par, no matter no"
much it's value. You know that the
supreme court has decided that bank
stock can only be assessed at par,
and you know that bank stock in Mis-
souri, is worth all the way from par
TO two, three, four, five. six, yea,
some OF it ten to one
| was talking with banker about
my tax receipts, and from his comics
sion and my tax receipts, / believe !
can give you better argument
against the unfairness and injustice
of full value taxation of farm land
than in any other way. g..
lie said a few years ago he bou sht
100000 worth of bank stock, and
said it has been worth four to Que
for several years and pays 10 per
cent on $4o,ooo.oo, but is assessed at
par value ($Io,ooooo). Now l am as
sessed at $86,ooooo-the land only
worth $50, 100000. Now l owe $780,
ooo. oo--half- this farm, 80 that al
best | possess only doubtful $780,
10000 value in this BOO acre farm.
And yet my banker friend is pav.rg
taxes on $1o,ooo.oo which is worth
$4oooo.oo without a doub ara
with woubtful tai hold on the
same 100000 am taxed $86ooo.o'
besides, | must pay interest on $780,
10000 which represents value in this
and | do not possess.
In other words my banker friend IS
paying taxes on $1,000 voc and !, a
armer, $S6,ooo.oo For the privilege
If owning the same amount OF this
worlds goods my banker friend pays |
bout $500 per year while yo,u hum
,lc farmer friend who is writing you
must pay $4,000 plus interest On
about $2.5oo.oo. So to
wing on to my $4o,Ooooo I've got to
lit the ball TO the tune of about So
100 per year, while our friend can
oil not nor spin and draw his 10 per
ent on his S4o,ooooo, and get by
With taxes on 100000.
This is sample of the justice OF
our full valuation schemes handout.
Now, l am not saying bank stock
hould be assessed above par. do
OF think that it should, and l think
lie supreme court has wisely decid-
d SO. You knew that bank stock
ould be assessed at par, only frac-
onal part of it's value, then why
hould not land be assessed on the
anne basis?
You promised US full valuations did
OF necessarily mean higher taxes,
ut it has. The law limited the rates
Id the levies--and by holding valua-
ons down, the State Board OF Equal {
alton, County Courts, School
cards were limited. But now see t
hat they have done to us?
| read about the small increase IN
ate taxes and the law that county l
ourts could not increase taxes TO
Use a fund for county purposes III o
,cess of 10 per cent, and | made a
lp TO- lSllIiSOll lily W oSC A'o'N
is, and found it meant the aggre- '
ate and did not refer to the indlvid-
II at all So that taxes were reduced v
the income taxes of the rich and
creased in towns and cities where
e money lenders live, but from |
cords in the Tax Commissioners O
flee / saw with my own eyes tho II
rmers' valuations liked. Here in Ii
Done County, find farm lands rails a
lis per cent more than doubled a
lille town and personal property de- II
eased S per cent, and l take it this II
a sample of what has been done all s.
'er Missouri.
And this shifting of the burden ON p
rmers is the complaint of the farm "
who was already struggling with /;
e inequalities of taxation, short C
edit and no credits, and high inter- Il
IS, and low prices foH his products. D
Until our laws are changed to tax !;
rmers and property owners on their
A. E.sH