The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-01-29
Minnesota Cars Escaping
Special Highway Taxes
Highway Plan Probably Unique as
Measured by Conclusion Reached
By National Tax Body

Although furnishing all state high
way funds, Minnesota automobiles
and trucks are free from special road
levies collected in many states. In
stead, the new highway plan has
brought lower motor vehicles taxes
besides big savings in car running ex'
penses due to good roads.
The foregoing assertion is based on
a conclusion in recent National Tax
report, says a highway bulletin this
week. The experts hold that where a
lieu tax is collected on motor vehicles,
only the excess over that on other
personal property is to be regarded as
special tax for highways. Mime
sofa personal property taxes on cars
and trucks averaged more than SIT
in 1920, exclusive of the state license
fee, while the average since has been
1888 under the new highway plan.
Providing for low auto taxes and
conservative bonding and for fair dis
tribution of road expenses, the Mime
sofa plan further meets all important
principles laid down by the experts af-
ter long and careful study.
The National Tax body findings are
in close accord with those made indie
pendently by a Highway Transport
committee on which thu American AS
ISOLATION of state Highway officials
was represented by T. H. Mcdonald,
chief of the U. S. Bureau of Public
Roads, j. H. Mullen of the Mime
sofa Highway department, and other
officials of prominence, and the Amer
lean Automobile Chamber of Com
merce by R. D. Chaplin, Pyke John
son and other figures in the automo-
tive world. ~
Both groups agreed that the bond
ing plan is better than the pay-as-you
go policy in situations such as now
confront Minnesota in it's highway
program. The National Tax associa-
ton report reads as follows:
During, the initial period of con-
struction of an extensive system of
highways, densely populated and rap
idly growing states, and states where
the immediate need for the construc-
ton of improved highways is urgent,
it would be unwise to attempt to fl
nance highway construction wholly or
even in large part from current tax
revenues. If current revenues are
relied upon under these circum-
stances, there will result either an
intolerable tax burden on the COM
munity the loss for many years of
reasonable retardation Of highway
construction, entailing to the COM
munity the lass for many years of
the advantage of improved highway
communication. Such a financial pol
icy would be likely to lead, moreover,
to piecemeal construction, with the
result that the utility of each mile of
improved road will for many years
be reduced, as compared to the posi-
bilities if, once the system were
carefully planned, program of rap
id completion of it's general frame
work were embarked upon. States
and localities however, which have al
ready made considerable progress
and passed the peak of new annual
mileage should move gradually
toward the pay-as-you-go basis"
The report states further that out
lays on primary or trunk highways
systems which carry the great per-
centage of traffic should at least
equal those on secondary or local
roads. In Minnesota, however, more
than $19,000,000 raised in annual
county-town levies for roads and
bridges is nearly double the net year
ly income to date under the new high
way program.