Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1917 — FOR ANEW TAX SYSTEM IN INDIANA [ARTICLE]

FOR ANEW TAX SYSTEM IN INDIANA

Commission Proposes Drastic Change In Taxing Plans For the State; Would Abolish Assessors. The commission appointed by Governor Ralston to study taxation problems, which has made several reports to the governor, has prepared bills to present to the general assembly in which the plans of the commission for a revision and strengthening of the Indiana taxing system would be carried into law. The bills, among other provisions, would abolish the present state tax board of tax commissioner’s and create a similar board of three members, at increased salaries, having much broader powers than the present board. The proposed laws would put the appointment of county assessors in the hands of the state board of tax control and would wipe out the present system of electing these men. All the authority, jurisdiction, rights, powers and duties of the present board of tax commissioners would be vested also in the proposed new board and would comprise a different type of appointments, in at least one instance, than the present board. The proposed bills would give the

governor power to appoint three men, one a qualified tax expert, either from within or without the state, the other two from the opposite political parties. The members of the proposed state board would draw $5,000 a year salary, and would be appointed for four years. • Not more than fifty of the ninetytwo counties could be from any one party. The county assessors, under the bill, would have the power to select assistants, no county to have more than eight assistants,-under the provision of the state board. A number of commission men would answer practically no questions concerning the bills, and it is not known whether the commission is united jn the advocacy of the bills. Two other bills from the same source would make the limits of the stale and county, or local rates of taxation, 50 per cent of the present limitations, the theory being that the present tax raes are based on, about fifty per cent of the true value of property. These bills would operate on the theory that the other bills would gradually bring up the valuation of property for taxation purposes to more nearly their true cash value. -