Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 69, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 March 1917 — The Taxation Problem Big One for Indiana [ARTICLE]

The Taxation Problem Big One for Indiana

One of the most important and difficult problems that will face the constitutional convention in Indiana will be tiie taxation problem, and many of the best brains in the state will attempt to solve it. Gov. Goodrich will take the lead. He already has made known some of the things he will recommend to the convention. He will give the widest possible publicity to these questions within the next six months. The bigest fight to be made will . make intangible .property .pay a tax proportionately equal to that now paid by real estate. Conclusions of the Indiana State Tax association; by Fred A. Sims, show the seriousness of the problem. He finds that taxes are raized not only by a horizontal increase, but by an increase in assessments on real estate, that the average rate in 98 cities in the state is 3.86 per cent; in 402 towns the average rate is 3.36 per cent; the average rate in 1,011 townships is 2.46 per cent;the average rate in 92 county seats is over 2 1-2 per cent. In every part of the state he finds there has been a big increase in taxation in the last two years. Gov. Goodrich it is believed, will urge the excise tax on corporations, which the legislature refused to impose, in the constitutional onvention. It is the contention of the governor that many corporations are assessed on their factories and shops at not more than 20 per dent of their true value, while real estate is assessed at 50 per cent of its value and often "~HRjrer- ——-— —— ■—— The Indiana State Tax asociation will wage a fight to get away from the general property tox .n favor of more direct tax on the income of the people.