Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-03
A New Angle to Tax Collection

| A New Angle TO lax COAIccLAVh
1t would seem that the taxpayers
of Georgia had certainly become ac-
uuainted with all the inf1rnlities of
the so-called disqualification law, but
we need not be surprised at any
thing in the state, for it is the I'M
| expected which generally happens
The new thing is the big pay which
is allowed to officials who are call
ed tax Investigators" Two tax in
vestigators went into court here in
Georgia land less than two weeks
ago. concerning thirty thousand
dollars personal pay which one
claimed as belonging to himself. The
other declared it should be divided
ty-fifty'-fifteen thousand dol
lare apiece. If it had not been for
the contest in the courts, published
! in Georgia newspapers, we would "be
| in the dark until now, as to- the how
and wherefore, and it looks like
| somebody should rise up and ask
what sort of tax receivers have been
down in that territory all these years
where thirty thousand dollars were
collected and allotted to one out
| side manor two outside men, If that
thirty thousand dollar fee is split
fifty fifty?
We have around one hundred and
sixty counties in the state of Geor-
gia. alabama and Pennsylvania
have only fifty each)
Under the constitutional law, pass
! ed in the year 1917, there We're two
tax men in every county bigsor little.
namely, a receiver and a collector.
| The tax receiver was paid a big
| percentage to locate the property,
and swear the owner thereof In every
| county. The collector received the
| taxes Of all the people who thus
owned any property. A part of the
| tax money went to the state, five
mills, and the rest went to the
county. In 1918, Governor Slaton
| set up a new tax scheme and APP
! pointed Judge John Hart, as tax
commissioner, with office help. and
also three so-called tax assessors
| in every county to go over all these
| tax returns and "eQualiZe" them,
numbering over tx hundred in all.
| This left nothing for the tax re-
ceiver to do but accept the returns
| handed in and later to set down the
after the tax equalizers had gone
over them and approved them.
| These tax assessors sat in solemn
! council for fifty days. In my coun-
ty in the year 1921, they received
six dollars each per diem to exam
| inc returns. I presume in the other
part, the per diem was also in big
| figures. Then the tax collector, with
a big per centum, collected the taxes
without any mercy, and the tax
| payers were next to helpless.
1t was this expensive tyrannical
tax scheme whic hhas terrorized the
state of Georgia, for nearly ten years:
In 1920, under the leadership of
Hon. Thos. E. Watson, this tax
scheme was denounced from Rabun
Gap to Tybee Light. In 1922, the
same tax equalization scheme was
denounced from Rabun Gap to Tybee
Light, and from the east to the
west in every county.
Also, in 1922, the house of repre-
sentatives repealed the equalization
law and the senate came within one
vote of repeating it. That vote is
the subject of much comment ever
since. The next general assembly
will discuss it, and the how and
wherefore, when it meets in June,
and the story will be exposed or be
harmless. The governor.elect is
pledged to repeal the law. His plat
form was largely made of one plank,
namely repeal this tax law.
If he expects to try to succeed
middle of some bushes, saw. at once
that the trick had failed. Shadow
was too smart to be fooled by any
such trick as that. Old Jed Thumper
promptly took to his heels.