The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-26
TO PUT HOBBIES
ON TAX BODIES
New Bill to Limit Amount
of Taxes to be Levied
on Property.
SCHOOLS EXEMPTED
New Law If Passed Would
Greatly Handicap the Action
of Town and City Councils.

Madison.-A reduction in property
taxes to the extent Of S26,000,000 was
proposed today to the state Legislature
by Senator H. j. Severson, lola, in q
substitute amendment to the Morris
income tax reduction bill, pending in
the state senate. The substitute, how
ever, refers to property taxes and has
no reference to income.
The substitute provides for fiat
decrease in general property taxes
both real and personal, Of about 25
per cent.
General property taxes now total
slightly more than $100,000,000 pei
annum, and in the event of the enact
ment into law of the Severson substi-
tute, the reduction proposed would
mean saving to the taxpayers of ap-
proximately $26,000,000, according to
Senator Severson.
Makes Sharp Reductions.
To carry out this program Senator
Severson proposes to cut the taxes
levied by town boards one fourth
limiting the total levy to three fourths
cent as the law now provides. He
further proposes to cut the levy made
by village boards another twenty-five
per cent, reducing it to seventy-fve
hundredths in place of one per cent;
and to cut the levy for municipal pur-
poses levied by the city council to two
and one half per cent in place of the
three and, one half per cent in the
present law. It's greatest cut is in the
county tax, prohibiting county boards
from leveying more than three tenths
of one per cent in place of the one
per cent of the present law.
While county boards have not yet
levied the full amount of one per cent,
the average levy is little more than
one half of one per cent, so that the
cut in county taxes would be little
more than seven million dollars per
annum, according to the senator.
The bill also adds section which
declares the public policy of Wiscon-
sin to be that no tax should be levied
which is greater than is required for
the efficient conduct of the government
and that in view of the constantly
ton, a substantial reduction in pro-
perty taxes should be enacted into a
law by a reduction of the legal limita-
tions of tax levies.
A. further section is added making
it a criminal offense for any member
of a town or village board, common
council, or county board to vote to
levy any tax in excess of the limita-
ton provided by the law and also MAX
ing it criminal offense for any town,
village or city clerk to place such ex-
cessive tax levy on the tax roll, with
the further proviso that any officer
who should violate the provisions of
this section shall be guilty of NAL
feasance in office, shall vacate his Of
fee by such malfesance, and be SUBJ
ject to a fine of not exceeding one
thousand dollars or by imprisonment
in the county Jail not exceeding six
months, or by both such fine and i'm
prisonment in the discretion of the
court.
Commenting on this phase, Senator
Severson said: "This last section is
necessary to the administration of the
reason that the records disclose of
ficers of municipalities are violating
the law and making excessive levies
and collecting taxes which are illegal
and beyond the amount fixed by law.
If this provision is written into the
statute, no officer will dare violate the
tax laws and make himself liable to
both fine and imprisonment, this dis
franchising himself from holding of
fice."
Exempts School Taxes.
Taxes levied for school purposes
are expected, in the substitute and do
not come within the provision of this
bill, so that if the bill should pass, it
would not in any way affect or cripple
our educational system, according to
the author. Neither will it affect the
interest to be paid on indebtedness
contracted.
General property taxes have in
creased two and one half times in ten
years, coming up from SAL 100000 2
its author contends. 'sThe bill would
only reduce taxes to what they were
in 1919 or the highest peak during
the war period. The only way to re-
duce taxes is for the municipal au-
thorities to spend less money and
when they are allowed to spend as
much now as they were during the
high war period, it should seem sufi-
cient.
'sWe have been constantly jumping
upwards, and climbing; now let US see
if it is not time to jump down and get
back on sound basis Of taxation. Let
US cut out all waste and extravaganza
and by doing that there is no. reason
why we cannot easily reduce bur tax
budget one fourth and save the people
$26.00O,0o0 per year as this bill pro-
Snosaa.y