The Coconino sun., 1924-04-11

co local government. This | do for
two reasons: First, because here is
where our interests largely are, and
second, because the major part of the
taxes we pay go for maintaining local
government.
AS the business of government is
financed by the taxes you pay / shall
give by the way of a little reminder
a little tax data.
In 1913 your federal and state
property tax rate was 80; county,
1.59; city, so, total, 259.
In 1923 your federal and state
property tax rate was 81; county,
1.86; city, Ill; total, 354.
This gives an average increase for
our county and city taxes since 1913
of 379o. Increased assessed valu-
ations OF certain property in Flag
staff in 1920 amounted in effect to
an additional average rise in taxes of
26f6. Total rise since 1913 of $3.50.
| The increase in city rate is chiefly
due to bond issues.
Note please, only 1879 is state and
federal, while 849b is local tax for
local government, five times as much
for local as for state and national.
lis this Increase due to waste or is
the public getting corresponding in
crease in service The rise seems due
to two or more causes. First, the
general rise in the cost of labor and
the various necessary commodities,
fgeneraf price levels have risen about
the same as our local tax rate), and
second, because the people are de-
! manding, and rightly too, more in the
| way of public improvements than ever
before. Better schools, better health
conditions, better reads, better every
thing looking to a general improve
ment in social conditions. Now i'm
creased efficiency in economy of gov
ernment cannot meet the cost of these
improved conditions. They call for
higher taxes. So really increased cost
of government is more apparent than
real. 1t is really largely due to in
creased public requirements, wise or
u1wise. We are still getting our dol
lars worth, or rather more so than
formerly.
The above rise in tax rate means
| that on the average we now pay $1.63
in taxes where in 1913 we paid $1.00
for tho same property. The National
Industrial Conference board has esti-
mated, by striking an average for the
whole country, that it now costs S1.65
to buy what cost $100 in 1914. Thus
cur local taxes have risen less than
tene general price levels. In addition
we have new and better schools, bet
ter roads, {recaH the road to Williams
in 1879, better streets, sanitary sew
ers, park and improvements and bet
ter fire protection. This would indi-
cate that we are now getting relative
ly more per dollar of tax money than
in 1913.
Thus these increased taxes are due
to expenditures, bond issues, etc,
which the public should be and has
been called upon to pass or decide.
Bond issues of unprecedented sums
are now being issued everywhere. If
we are losing our sense of proportion
of things in this greatest of all eras
in building of schools, roads, pubic
buildings, if the pace is too fast, it is
the duty of the taxpaying public to
put their hands to the throttle and
adjust matters.
In Indiana, where the aggregate
cost of all government has increased
800 per cent from 1902 to 1922, while
wealth increased 200 per cent, and in
comes 281 per cent during that per-
iod, with a per capita tax increase
of 244 per cent, the State Chamber
of Commerce has just adopted plan
for statewide campaign of educa-
tion to stop unwise public expendi-
lures and halt the increasing tax
burden.
But is it not true that we take more
interest in national than local govern
ment? Yet we willingly invest just
five times as much tax money in To-
cal government and evidently expect
a proportionate amount of service. Is
this as it should be? 1t would seem
that the Importance of the two should
be commensurate with their cost.
Too many of us simply pay our
taxes as If they were a sort of PEN
atty assessed against US, instead of
paying them in as an investment in
the public welfare to personally fol-
low up and foster.
If our public spirit or our sense Of
public duty does not happen to bring
US into proper relation to the business
of government, is there any other
real practical reason why we should