The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-09-18
DIXON WARNS REPS
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And, to give central control of thi'
equalization of the tax burden among
all forms of wealth, that we estab
lished a central agency, with full jur
isdictiOn owe all, popularity known "a
a state tax commission. Although the
people themselves ratified the Tar
Commission amendment, The Ana
conda and the Montana Power inter,
ests Immediately attacked by INDUCTION
in the Supreme Court. After months
of delay, the ratification by the vote
of the people was sustained by a bare
majority vote of 3 TO 2 in the Supreme
Court.
Despite the opposition of powerful
Hobbies, financed by these great special
interests, we were finally able to write
into the tax laws of Montana a modern
provision regarding:
Inheritances.
Pullman car lines,
A Tax Commission,
2Ro gross on oil production,
Coal production and Gasoline.
The financial political power of the
great metal mining companies was
strong enough to defeat in the Senate
the one per cent gross production tax
on the output of metal mines, which
the House had passed. Since Non
tana's admission to statehood, these
great foreign owned mining companies
had, through political control of Legs
l%atures, newspapers. bank credits and
state government, been able 10 have
yearly output Of millions Of
wealth assessed for taxation only on
met production" If there were no net
there We're no taxes on the
mineral wealth produced.
The Dual Tax System
Yet. during all these years. the farms,
livestock, and banks of Mon
.ana's resident citizens ere paying
taxes whether there We're any net
profits in the business or not.
To show how unfairly the present
luaI system Of taxation has worked,
{ cite following actual transactions:
This last February. the Davis-Daly
nine in Butte was sold TO The Ana
.onda by vote Of its stockholders for
100000. Mr.. Mcintyre, the County
Treasurer OF Silver Bow, certified to
he State Tax Commission that for the
rear 1923 the taxable value of this
nine was $4,000. The total taxes
aid that year on this property, which
old for three million dollars, actual
ash. was S2,549.
II this three million dollars had been
invested in farm lands that year, in
stead of $3.50 taxes II would have
3aid s55,275, or nearly % times as
much. If this three million had been
invested in either cattle or merchan-
Use, the taxes would have been s61,417,
,r more than "a times as much.
Let me give you another illustration
Is TO how the present dual system of
.axation works here in Montana.
The new Tax Commissions returns
or the last year show that the"stocks
If merchandise paid nearly three
lines the amount of taxes paid by all
he great metal mines Of the state.
Lat year 'store furniture and fix
-ures'' paid in more than one-third as
much tax as all the metal mines net
proceeds tax.
In 1922, bank stock paid over
eight times the tax as did met pro
.eeds'' from metals mines. That year
Household Goods" paid 2h times as
much tax as did all metals mines on
heir met proceeds"
This dual system of taxation in Mon
ana has been so brazenly unfair that
he wonder is the people who live in
Montana have borne the unequal bur
len with such meek patience and for
itude.
SUIT under the initiative section of
,ur state constitution, 10000 citizens
# the state have, within the past few
months, initiated the same identical
me per cent gross output metals mines
license tax law as was passed by the
Iouse two years ago.
Mines Tax Law Will Pass
Despairing Of continued control of
legislatures by the big mining interests,
hey have finally determined to exc
Use their reserved constitutional pow
RS of legislation by popular vote. IN
I know nothing Of the eXasperated
Of the people of Montan regard
ng this ancient wrong, the initiated
ill will become a law in November by
he greatest vote eyer cast by the
eople of this state.