Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-03-16

fore set It aside. A person is 70 De
respected for living within his means.
A bill has been introduced in this
session, providing for very nominal
charge to those who did not use their
cars in 1882, but who may wish to
take out a motor vehicle license in
1888 if the minimum becomes SO. The
bill should, and likely will be passed.
Talks on Phone Tax Increase.
The Minnesota State Tax Commis-
sion has for some years advocated a
raise in gross earnings taxes of tele-
phone companies, which is now 40.
bill has been introduced by Rep.
Wangensteen Of Chisholm, myself and
others, to bring about this raise and
thus secure more revenue for the
state.
Hearings are being held and, Of
course, the big telephone companies
are on the job. Figures furnished
by the Minnesota Railroad and Ware
house Commission, however, indicate
that the larger telephone companies
enjoyed good business even during the
depression years Of 1880. 81 and 80.
Telephone rates have been reduced
very little and the companies can take
up some Of the burden now placed on
the shoulders of general property tax
payers. When the bill Is finally put
into shape and presented on the floor
of the House, 1t may embody flat
tax of Csc per phone, or Whereabouts,
for rural cooperative telephone COM
panies and perhaps a graduated gross
earnings tax of from one or two per
cent and upward on the other COM
panies. These matters are being
ironed out in committee hearings and
many facts concerning telephone bus
mess in the State of Minnesota are
brought to light. The larger COM
panies have naturally interested many
smaller companies in fighting their
battles but let it be said that there
is no intention on the part of the
authors of the bill to legislate any
telephone company out of business.
The purpose is to collect a fair and
equitable tax commensurate with the
earnings.
Many bills have been introduced for
the purpose of waving penalties and
interest on back taxes. While it may
not be good practice to waive pen
alties and interest and l am opposed
to 1t on general principles for it sort
of places a premium on tax delin-
quencies, however, in times like these,
the government will do well to collect
even the principle.
1t is very likely that a bill for a
tax sale will be passed in this session
of the Legislature as has been passed
in sessions of recent years. It usually
permits the settling of taxes at 1870
on the dollar where delinquent four
or five years and ranging down to 29c
on the dollar where delinquent 10 or
more years. That law brought in con-
siderable tax money to many counties
since the 1881 session. In my home
county of Pine, the county auditor, Mr..
Edin, reported income from tax sales
of over $4,000 last year. Much prop
erty got back on the tax rolls.
On May IA, 1888, lands upon which
becomes the property of the state
under the law of 1927. A bill which
has already been recommended out of
the Tax committee and is now on gen.
eral orders, provides that if 1919 of the
| five-year taxes is paid now and cur
rent taxes kept up, the balance of the
five-year taxes may be paid in twenty
equal annual installments. This
amendment to the forfeiture tax law
has been presented in the hope of pro-
noting home ownership and to avoid
dumping too much land onto the state,
especially in these times when it is
difficult for many to pay their taxes.
Several bills that have to do with
local expenditures control, are now
being considered. During the past
fifteen years or more, there have been
| cases of exorbitant spending of pub
lie funds in the way of excessive