The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-12-04
TAX BURDEN IS
$3.50 FOR EACH
FAMILY IN Nd.
G.. G.. Converse State Tax Com
missioner, Says $32,O0O,-
600 Burden Too Great
SHOWS TAXATION TREND
Demand of Public For High
Standard of Public Service
Held Increase Cause

Fargo, N. D., Dec. 4.-The huge
increase of the tax burden in North
Dakota and elsewhere was tolG by
State Tax Commissioner c. G. Con-
verse in an address before the Com
mons club here today. He declared:
That the tax levies have increased
faster than legislators can find new
methods of taxation.
That the tax burden of North Da-
kota is $32,0OO,OOO a year, or $3.50
annually for family of five persons.
That the Northern Pacific Rail-
way Company's tax per mile of single
track line increased from $l68.20 in
1900 to $l,O76.O8 in 1922.
That school district tax levies in
creased from $3,s96.'1O in 1910 to
$l3.994 900 in 1921.
That school tax increased in II
years more than the aggregate
amount of taxes levied in 1910 by
the state and all taxing districts.
The greatest single factor in in
creased taxes has been increased
commodity costs which has affected
public and private business alike.
That taxes can be reduced only
through curtailment of public ex-
penditurcs.
Seek New Methods
Some of you may be old enough
to remember the time when practical
ly the only tax citizens had to con-
slider was the general property tax,
and that was not burdensome,' said
Mr.. Converse. During the last two
decades, however, expenditures have
increased to such an extent that
taxes have become burdensome. And
as the amount of taxes imposed upon
real estate and personal property
has increased from year to year,
Legislators have attempted to re-
lieve property of portion of the
burden Of government by adopting
new forms of taxation, chief among
which may be mentioned the tax up
on gasoline and the income tax.
These measures have not reduced
property taxes noticeably and the
search still continues for new forms
of taxation. But we are already u.s.
ing nearly all forms of taxation
which are at all feasible and which
are good revenue producers, SO that
legislators may possibly feel that
they are somewhat in the position
of the monarch who wept because
there were no more worlds to con-
quer"
Mr.. Converse asked that 1--WE not
dclude ourselves with the notion that
new forms of taxation offer a possi-
bic solution of our problems" stating
that an annual tax burden of $780,
100000 upon 100000 people in North
Dakota is heavy no matter how paid.
Much of the tax, he said, was con-
cealed "in the prices which we pay
for household provisions, and for
wearing apparel; in the prices we
pay for transportation, both directly
and indirectly, in the purchases from
our merchants of all sorts of COM
modities."
"But mo matter how much they
may be concealed, we pay them just
as certainly as though we, as con-
sumers. paid them directly" Mr..
Converse said. What is needed and
needed urgently until the condition
of agriculture shall have improved
is a reduction in public expenditures,
and the public|is apparently unwill-
ing to curtail public expenditures"
"This," said Mr.. Converse, "is q
government by public opinion and it
is apparent from the results of cleo
tions in which matters having to do
with expenditures have been SUBJ
mitted to the voters that they are
unwilling to narrow the wide scope
Of governmental activities or to low
er the high standard of public SER
vice. They are still hoping that pre-
sent standards can be maintained un-
til such time as returning prosper
ity shall make the burden less oner-
Gus. Each individual of each class
of individuals is disposed to suspect
that he or his particular class may
be unjustly dealt with in that he
may be bearing more than his fair
share of the burden of taxation. But
the truth is that taxes, are higher
upon all classes Of property. Owners
of real estate know that their own
taxes are uncomfortably high, but
may not realize that the, taxes upon
railroad property are likewise bur-
densome. To illustrate this fact,
consider the increase Of taxes in the
case of the Northern Pacific Rail-
way. In 1900 the tax per mile of
single track in North Dakota was
$16s.20. By 1915 it had increased
to $43O.4S and in 1922 it was 81, ,076.OS,
two and half times what it was in
1915 and six and one-third times
what it was in 1900.
Demands Of Public
x "The difficulty Of reducing ex-
penditures is well illustrated BY
considering expenditures for educa-
tional purposes. No one wants to
lower our high standards Of educa-
ton; and these are some Of the
significant figures pe1tainins to the
increase in educational costs: In
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