The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-25
REAL ECONOMY

as Inc ClLlzen has remarked before,
it is in full accord with the endeavor OF
the Economy League Of Key West to re-
duce the local expenses of government,
but believes the league has not gone far
enough
The proposed consolidation of several
offices in the city government would save
hundreds of dollars monthly, but how
much more could have been saved had the
league worked for the consolidation Of
municipal and county offices?
Is city and county the size of Key
West and Monroe the work in three and,
in some instances, four offices could be
done in one at saving of thousands of
dollars. Besides, efficiency would be pro-
noted by having the work done by one
directing head
One item in the affairs of the city,
advocated by the league, is not economy
payer penny, and that is the discon-
tinuance Of the publication of the delin-
quent tax list.
That apparent saving protects the
taxdodger, not the taxpayer, for the pub
LEGATION of the list does not cost the tax
payer anything, but the cost, instead, is
paid by the taxdodger.
It may be declared that the city pays
for the publication in the first place and
has to trust to luck to collecting the money
from the delinquent taxpayer when,
through the transfer Of his property, or
otherwise, he pays the taxes in order to
give the buyer title free of all en-
cumbrances.
That view may be true ordinarily but
it is not true is the case of Key West and
the publication of the city delinquent tax
list in The Citizen. The city has not paid
The Citizen a penny for the publications
Of the list for five years and owes The
Cities about $4,000 on which no interest
has been or will be paid.
Further than that, on many piece of
property that the city, when collecting
delinquent taxes, has also collected for the
cost of publication of the tax list, the
money thus obtained has been kept by the
city, instead of having been paid to The
Citizen.
IT may be said also that The Citizen
will get the money some day. In that re-
gard, the best that can be done is to hope
that the money will be paid, because any
thing more substantial than hope is
not justified by the present state of the
financial affairs of Key West
The only way, so far as The Citizen
can see, that the money will be paid is if
property owners in Key West, due to
activity in the local realty market. pay
their taxes, and should that come to pass
sufficient amounts will be obtained from
delinquent taxes, in the payment of pub
lication assessments, to give The Citizen
the money that, has been owed it for sew
eral years.
Therefore, in the final analysis, as
was remarked before, the taxdodger. not
the taxpayer, pays for the publication of
the delinquent tax list.
In passing, il may be observed that
many people heretofore have paid their
taxes rather than see their names in the
delinquent tax list AIS that is true, isn't
it true also that, when the list is no longer
published, some taxpayers, who have been
paying heretofore, viii take advantage of
that condition not to pay them?
Finally, The Citizen assures the
Economy League that it has the unstinted
support of this paper in every movement
not only for the reduction Of the cost Of
local government but also IN every other
matter that will promote and conserve the
interests of Key West The Citizens only
regret is that the league did not use its
pruning knife to far greater extent
than has been the case.