Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-10-24
USE DISCRETION
AND TIGHTEN UP

is soon 10 meet IN special session.
Dec. 2-principally to enact social
security legislation, there is again
much discussion on the tax question. |
Any legislation enacted which re-
quires revenue will naturally open
up the tax question.
Some times, however, it is not so
much a question of new forms of
taxation as it is that of applying
present taxes and Tightening up on
collections all along the line.
Tax bargain sales which have been
put into effect by the Legislature
during the past several years have
been both good and bad. There has
been justified criticism and there has
also been expression of appreciation.
With hit and miss settlements over
northern Minnesota, locating farmers,
SO to speak, land all over the creation"
it was evident that there would be
some trouble with taxation in due
time. For instance, in a county like
Pine, all the farmers and village
folks could be placed in an area of
only one-fOurth to one-third the size
of the entire county, with less roads
to build and less schools to maintain.
Two or three good sized villages,
large enough to maintain parks, Ii
braries, municipal bands and orches-
tras, swimming pools and much other
to the social advancement and pleas
ure of the inhabitants would have
been the result. The same can be
said of many other counties in north
ern Minnesota. The hit and miss
settlement that has prevailed the past
so to rs years, left much cut-Over
and untitled soil in between actual
settlers and the various communities.
The cry some years ago was to hit
the speculator on taxes. the argument
being that his land was advancing in
price as improvements were made on
adjacent farm land and as the COM
munity in general was processing.
Much of the wild land was owned by
folks who may have bought it with
a view to locating there later. Other
lands may have come into the hands
of some folks through deals of one
kind or another To be sure there
were also some spectators, but what
ever rise in the price of the land they
may have enjoyed at one time that
has now fallen back again.
AS long as the sOcalled speculator
was asked to pay 1Oc. zoe and Csc
taxes per acre he paid it without
much consideration and grumbling.
but when the taxes rose to 4Oc and
soc per acre he started to wonder ii
he would ever get as much out of the
land as he put into it. when taxes
rose, as they did in some cases, to
75c or even 81 per acre on wild
lands the spectators simply gave up
paying taxes and dropped the land.
knowing that he could not sell and
retrieve the principal as we'll as taxes
and interest on the investment.
The result of all this was that tax
delinquency increased. The Legisla-
ture enacted laws making it possible
for land owners to pay up back taxes
at the rate of soc on the dollar ii
delinquent three or more years. 6Oc
on the dollar if delinquency datec
farther back. and way down to zoe
on the dollar If the taxes were del1n-
uuent ten years or more. County
auditors and other officials. as well
as many citizens in counties OF cut
over lands welcomed such legislation
with the result that much delinquent
tax land was again placed back or
the tax rolls. In one year Pine county
collected more than $4,000 in delin
ouent taxes; likewise in other coun
ties.
But like any new law. caused b!
over-taxation of certain lands. 1t hat
its bad as we'll as good effects. Ther'
were examples Of revenue producing
buildings that had been tax delln
ouent for some years where the own
ers jumped in and paid up back take
at a discount. Others began to hol
back and look for continued tax bar
gains. Discounts and easement wer
asked for.
On the other hand many. case
could be cited where farmer ha
but 40 or so acres and with plent
of help on the farm and desire t
expand he purchased an adjoinin
forty or eighty Of tax delinquent Ian
at bargain. That land in time