The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1930-08-07
MINNESOTA TAXES
ARE HIGHEST EVER
Year 1880 Will Eclipse Any
Previous One in Its Entire
History
A WARNING STATEMENT
Each Employed Person Pays
$3.50 Annually for Govern
ment, Statistics Show

If Minnesotans pay their taxes
this year, they will pay more for
government than in any previous
year of the states history, ]. F.
Reed, president of the Minnesota
Taxpayers Association, warned re-
Gently.
In Minnesota we have faced and
are still facing a constantly in
creasing tax burden, said Mr.. Reed.
In the state and it's subdivisions we
will pay this year, if we pay our
taxes, more money for government
than in any former years of the
states history.
A young ambitious growing state
may expect this but when taxes in
crease more than two and one half
times faster than property valu-
alton and more than seven times
faster than population, as they have
in Minnesota in fifteen years, it
would seem that we should call a
halt and chart our bearings"
Pointing out that the average
cost of government in the United
States to all those gainfully employ
ed is $3.50 year, Mr.. Reed traced
the effect of taxes on farming and
industry.
To agriculture they mean in the
past three years an average in the
United States Of 81 per cent Of
the net farm profits, he asserted.
During the three years just pre-
ceding the World war taxes alb
sorbed an average Of 11.2 per cent
of the total net farm profits, show
ing an increase in that time Of
about 220 per cent.
What do these taxes mean to
corporations? OF each dollar OF
corporate net profits 30 cents Is re-
quired for tax payments. Railroads
paid in 1928, the entire net rev.
enue from IS days operation out
of 365, or nearly six billion dollars
worth of railroad facilities worked
the entire year to produce net rev.
enue for taxes. The railroads are
paying the tax collector $1,000, 900
each day Of the year, or rather coll
lecting it from those who use their
services and handing it over to the
tax collector.
General property taxes in Min
nesota in five years have increased
about 6 per cent, according to Mr..
Reed. We will pay this year in
Minnesota a general property tax
Of $133, 283,000 he said. In 1925
we paid a general property tax Of
c$125, 951 900 an increase in five
years of about 6 per cent. In 1920
we paid a general property tax of
$115, 391 900; showing an increase
in ten years Of 1875 per cent on
this one item.
Gasoline, automobile, tonnage,
occupation, inheritance, mortgage
registration, moneys and credits,
gross earnings, with long list of
fees and licenses, together with all
Federal taxes paid in the state
are all in addition to this general
property tax. The average cost of
taxation has likewise increased
mills in 1925 and $3.50 mills in
1930-on the assessed valuation on
general property.
This condition is neither new
nor of recent origin. It has been
constantly in progressively grow
ing throughout the years until
counties in Minnesota facing bank
ruptcy caused by tax delinquences,
and the inability of persons of mo-
derate means to longer Withstand
the REPRESENTATION have be-
come gravely critical.
An aroused public conscious
ness to the glazing faults that now
exist in the tax situation is essen
tial and necessary. The public
business must be made the taxpay-
ers BUSINESS. Only through col
lective well-organized action can
there be any hope of influencing
action of public officials in these
matters.
Tax payers organizations should
step in courageously, fearlessly,
and demand that public funds be
spent efficiently and only in the in
terest of the public that produce
them. If they neglect or refuse to
do this they should be forever
estopped from complaint, criticism
and abuse. Taxpayers who will
not assume this responsibility have
no one to blame but themselves, if
their money is not properly spent.
Todd County Reduces i