Montana labor news., 1935-10-17
Malta UncOverS
Some Tax EvasiOns

John Malta, the Silver Bow County
Assessor, has been doing some very ef-
fective work for the taxpayers of Silver
Bow County since he took office the
first Of the year, and one particular in
stance is herewith recited.
He will gain for the people the sum
of S 1900 a year taxes from a New York
company if he is upheld by the State
Board. This organization, known as
the International Business Machine
Corporation, rents out calculating ma
chimes to large industrial and business
firms. Three Of these machines have
been in use in Butte. One of them in
the Montana Power Company office,
another in the Texas Oil Company Of
flee, and one at the Hansen Packing
Company. The rent from these thrse
machines received by this company is
10000 per month. The company
turned in an assessment to John Malta,
County Assessor, OF $4,000. Malta
raised the assessment to $34,8l200. He
then went before the County Board Of
Equalization and objected to a reduc-
ton OF this assessment which the com
pany had asked for. Mr.. Malta was
upheld by the County Board of Equal
i%zation. The International Business
Machine Corporation, through its rep
resentative then appealed to the State
Board Of Equalization. Mr.. Tom Mer-
kle, one Of the Silver Bow County Com
missioners and MI. Malta attended this
hearing before the State Board. The
decision Of the State Board is now
pending as to how much reduction will
be granted the company in the assess
ment Of the machines, if any. 1t is hop
ed and expected that the State Board
will sustain Mr.. Malta. The Interna-
tional Business Machine Corporation
was very much interested in this mat
ter and sent a representative from Sc
attic and another one from New York
to plead their cause. One of their chief
accountants, Mr.. Bruce, came by plane
from New York City to be in attend
ance at the hearing. 1t has been esti-
mated that the three calculating ma
chimes in the three Butte business
houses heretofore mentioned, have re-
placed twenty men. An interesting side
light OF this matter comes from Lewis
and Clark County. After the Silver
Bow County assessor had raised the as
sessment on the machines and the mat
ter had been placed before the State
Board of Equalization, the assessor at
Helena, MI. Martini, discovered that a
calculating machine had been in use in
Helena for five years, upon which no
taxes had ever been collected. He dis
covered that the company had charged
a rental Of $500 a month for the ma
chine from the concern. The assessor
of Lewis and Clark County contem-
plates placing an assessment OF approx
imately 100000 a year for the past
five years against this firm.
OF the $l1,712.00 rent that the COM
pany has received from these business
concerns in Butte approximately only
$500 a year wa left in Silver Bow
County in taxes. If the assessed valu-
alton, which Mr. Malta has placed upon
the property is sustained by the State
Board, the County OF Silver Bow will
receive about $1,S45 yearly instead of
the $500 as stated heretofore.
John Malta must be given credit for
his work in %uncovering many OF these
tax discrepancies. 1t indicates that the
people Of this county have a very COM
petent and alert county assessor and
one thoroughly familiar with account
ing nrohlems.