Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-07-10
THE COUNTRY HOME
BY MRS. w. H. FELTON,

a lot of hand-picked tax assessors, who were
also very human and generally politicians or
the select tools of shrewder politicians, to go
over the tax returns and put on the screws,
and also protect the favored one, and thus
double the money to be collected into the
county treasury and the states part into the
comptroller generals office.
The tax receiver was not of further use,
absolutely laid on the shelf. A set Of men,
three in each county, could alter, amend and
write new tax returns, etc-arbitrary and ty-
rannical.
This is not the place to tell what [ know
personally, but it can be done, and will be
done if | am called as witness before tax
revision committee to tell what I do know.
The taxpayers have twice demanded the re-
peal of the so-caled tax equalization law. The
new governor now demands the repeal, and so
far it looks as if the time of repeal is near at
hand. 1t was a serious mistake to alter the
law Of 1877, in / 913. Every year has the dis
satisfaction increased. The land and real
estate owners are bearing the burden of this
OverGrOWn taxation, while big-salaried peo-
pie sit tight and keep their money
If the old tax receivers had complied with
the constitutional law of 1877 it would have
secured the conviction Of perjurers who had
greatly underpriced their property, and the re-
ceiver had only to go before the grand jury
and have the delinquents called and sworn
again. The tax receiver had the time and OPP
portunity to examine the property and COM
pare the returns. He had more than six
months to do it in, and if he needed assistance
he would have it from county authorities.
To my mind, the old law, with tax receivers
who are intelligent and intent on getting ac~
Quaintance with the land values, we will have
all we need or can expect as to honest tax re-
turns. AS it now stands, the tax receiver gets
enormous pay for his clerical work, and the
eight hundred men over the state who are
manicuring the taxable values are soaking up
thousands of dollars. with nothing to show for
the useless and eXtravagant salaries.
L am sure it will end in double taxation IL
Georgia real estate and land owners have to
pay two income taxes on the same property
in the same year. 1t will end in forcing farm
ers to quit owning land They may rent it,
and get their part in crop production, but
the owners will have to give up the business
and then we will find that money syndicates
can buy up tax fl fas and come into possess
sion of immense tracts that were bought and
paid for by those who desired homes and paid
for them, and are completely euchred out of
their possession to fling the tax money away
in excessive appropriations for things like
pensions, high schools, state colleges, oil in
spection, ETC., and thus the fate of the Ameri-
can republic will be FASTENED to it's final doom.
The who earnestly desires to live under
roof of his will feel obliged to buy lit
tie place in a town or city, get a salary as a
city official and then make living out of the
impOvershment of those whose land has thus
been sacrificed confiscated would be the
proper name ito the men who lash the tax
payers until there is nothing left If it were
not true that God still reigns in His heaven
and watches over the children Of women VINO
pray to Him for protection, we would have no
choice except royal rulers or Bolshevick reyo-
lutionists