The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-04-06
HONOR SYSTEM
GREAT SUCCESS
COUNTY ASSESSOR ASPELUND
ROLL WILL SHOW MANY MORE
REPORTS THAT ASSESSMENT
NEW NAMES AND AN IN
CREAS OF SI,5OO,OOO.

The Honor system of assessing
which was inaugurated by County As
SCISSOR Aspelund this year is proving
a greater success than was expected.
More than IS per cent of the tax pay
ers have assessed themselves. and
mailed the returns to the office, or
called at the Office personally and de-
livered their assessments. The val
uatiOns have increased a great deal
and it is estimated that the value of
Improvements have doubled and about
one third more livestock are reported
this year than in 1922, and the county
will be worth at least $1,500,000.00
more this year than in 1922. This
means that the levies may be reduced
both for School District and County
taxation purposes.
When Assessor Aspelund sent out
his Instructions to each property own
er he asked each one to be kind
enough to report the names of any
late arrival in the vicinity so that
these persons whose names did not
appear on last years tax rolls could
be assessed. AS a result of this CO.
operation between the Assessor and
the property owners over a hundred
new names have so far been added
to the tax rolls for 1923, and the Of
fie is receiving requests in every
mail for assessment blanks from
others whose names have not been
reported. Special requests have been
made from certain parties in almost
every township to send in the names
of all persons owning personal proper
/ ty whose names did not appear on the
1922 tax rolls and these responses are
commencing to come in now and
other new names are added. 1t is es-
timated that through this additional
taxation of personal property owners
whose names have never been on our
tax rolls that between twenty-five
and thirty-five thousand dollars more
taxes will be obtained, and this added
to the direct saving made by the
/ County Assessor using the HOor Sys-
tenn instead of employing field depu-
ties will effect saving of at least
S30,000.00 over last year. Of course
/ the same amount of money would
have to be raised whether these new
names had been added or not, but
this estimated amount of S30,O00.OC
will not have to be borne by the form
er tax payers and the levies may be
reduced accordingly and the taxes
! lowered for each individual.
So far only two instances have oc-
Cured where tax payers were penal.
lied for failure to report, but it seems
that some parties are extremely slow
in sending in their returns. Some Of
them have stated that unless a two
cent stamp was enclosed for such re.
turns that the Assessor would have tC
call for the assessment. Others thinl
if they do not report tht they vii
ecape taxation altogether. Boil
ideas are wrong which all will realiz,
in a short time, and the Producer
News wants to strongly urge all thos,
who have not made their returns t,
do so at once. The Assessor will hav,
to make an estimate of your property
and assess you accordingly, and sucI
estimate cannot thereafter be change,
by the Board of Equalization. If an!
property is wilfully concealed and no
reported for taxation the County AS
SCISSOR has full power to assess tn
owner or peron IN charge of same 70
not to exceed ten times its full an,
true value and such assessment can
Board of Equalization.
If the County Assessor finds tina
you refuse to make your returns o.