Evening star., 1932-09-18
Mllwaukees Tax Revolt.

Last year Milwaukee received consid
cradle publicity through news dis
patches which pictured 1t as one of the
Nations municipalities that through
sound local government had achieved a
balanced budget and reductions in local
taxes while other cities were groaning
under tax burden threatening NUM-
cipal bankruptcy. For this reason, If
for no other, the news story m today's
Star reporting that everything is not as
bright as pictured in Milwaukee is in
teresting. Part of the discomfort by
taxpayers in Milwaukee may be attrib-
uted to politics and efforts to capitalize
the local tax burden for purposes Of
defeating the Socialist city administra-
ton. But without regard to the political
complications, it is interesting enough
to note the methods taken by tax
payers in this admittedly well-governed
municipality to decrease their tax
burden.
Taxpayers have formed organizations
to bring about s5,O00,000 reduction
in the city budget by charter ordinance
The fate of the ordinance will depend
upon the result of referendum vote
in November by which the voters will
express their choice regarding initiation
of the tax-reducing legislation. Should
the vote favor reduction, the tax rate
would be cut by about SO thousand of
assessed valuation. This effort of the
taxpayers to take budget into
their own hands is in addition to law
suits contesting assessments, the result
Of which might be to hold up collection
Of taxes, as in some sections Of Cook
County, Ill, and by petitions to the
State Tax Commission to reassess real
estate, the petitions alleging unequal
and exorbitant assessment.
the 1880 census figures give Milwau-
kee a population of $50 400; a realty
assessment Of S883,874,l90 and a total
assessment Of sl,12l, ,989, ,246.
The figures for the same year for Wash
ington are: Population. 485, ,700 realty
assessment, $l182,463,345 and total
property assessment, $1834, ,858, ,O08.
total tax levy, less inter-
est on, bonded Indebtedness, is $32,577,-
031 Cfor 193O), as compared with WASH
ingtons s26,878,730 From these COM
parsons it is seen that Washington,
with practically one hundred thousand
less population than Milwaukee, pays
taxes on an assessed valuation that ex-
ceeds Milwaukees by something more
than $700, 900, ,O00 II the relation be-
tween MilWaukee's and Washington's
total tax levy Oess INTEREST," is the same
now as in the fiscal year 1880, Milwau-
kee would reduce its tax levy to a figure
approximating that of Washington Be-
cause of the difference in population
the per capita tax burden of Milwau-
kee would, OF course, be less.
An arbitrary declaration by taxpayers
much as s5,000000 Is hazardous
method Of effecting economies. 1t is
apt to destroy essential activities and
result In no real savings. The interest
ing thing about the taxpayers revolt in
Milwaukee, however. is the Illustration
of how the taxpayers themselves feel
toward their tax burden This is espe-
cially interesting to washingtonians,
who not only have no power to express
themselves on how much or why they
are taxed, but who are denied even the
privilege of knowing the size of the
budget now being prepared for them.
A Stanford professor has made OBJ
servations which incline him to the be-
lief that as a man goes beyond middle
age he is likely to compensate for
physical deterioration by mental devel-
Cpment. Many have held this belief,
al the same time wondering why ancient
history has not placed higher rating
on the intellectually of Methuse' h.
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