The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-07-10
COMPTROLLER
CITES STATUS
ON TAXATION
URGES ALL TO FAMILIARIzE
THEMSELVES WITH PRO-
VISIONS SET FORTH IN NEW
TAX LAWS

Florida's taxpayers-past. pres
ent and prospectlve-at last have
their problem back on their own
front door steps, right at home
and in their own hands, according
to State Comptroller j. M. Lee,
who, after spending ten days
working out instructions for Of
ficials in connection with the
new tax laws, took time out to
prepare for readers of The Citi-
zen a few words for the benefit
of the men and women who are
on the paying end of these new
statutes.
With the bugaboo of state
taxation eliminated from the
property tax structure folks
back home" can pay as much or
as little as they want, is the way
Comptroller Lee sees it. The
States position now is solely
that of umpire--to insure, by
strict supervision under the pro-
visions of the new statutes, that
the burden desired by the folks
back home is fairly distributed
among those same folks, who aft
er deciding what they want to
pay are faced with the job of
paying it.
There are two important firsts
right now--according to the
comptroller. They are:
See your tax assessor right
away TO make sure you get your
proper exemption and that he
doesn't figure wrong on values
because he'll have to figure by
himself under these new laws if
you don't function. No more
can Key Westers ride without
getting on the tax books. That's
MIR. Taxpayers job, the comp
troller saws, not the editors nor
the tax collectors nor the tax
assessors. We've got ways of
finding out who owns personal
property, stock and bonds, and !
we're going to get the data from
corporation returns to the secre-
tary of state, from income tax
returns to Uncle Sam and from
wherever we can find it. Tax
payers can save themselves trou-
BILE and grief and the state money |
by seeing the county assessor
right now, Lee says.
The other first for the man
who will have to pay l941 taxes |
is to see his county commissions
ers and school board members
about the budget, says the comp /,
troller, Whether taxes go up or |
down depends entirely on those
gentlemen and how effectively /
Mr. Taxpayer talks to them.
They fix the millage. All the
assessor does is find the value. /
The new law says the valuation /
must be increased--maybe four t
times, maybe three times--in
each county. 1t also says the /
millage shall come down--but /
that rests in the laps OF the tax
payers themselves and the men,
bers of those two boards. Tax
payers should see them right I
now while budgets are being
prepared Next month win be
too late.
Then the taxpayer should see
his tax collector before the 18th +
-or his name may show up in
the paper as delinquent, and
more costs be added. Names of
those delinquent for 1910 person
al and intangible property taxes
must be published in the news
paper July Is. If you haven't
paid you can save this embar-
rassment and some extra costs
too. It's got TO be paid this /
year-there's no misses going
to be allowed your tax collector,
according to the comptroller.
Mr.. Taxpayer should be tax
conscious by the time he does
these things-and that should /
lead him to policy of partici-
pating in the business Of his
county Meetings Of commission
ers and school boards are open
10 him. Let him look in on these /
meetings LET him urge his fell |
low taxpayers to- do, the same. /
Public officials. feel certain.
will welcome the cooperation /
and constructive criticism of bus I
mess men and others who pay the
n 4