Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1908 — STATE TAX COMMISSIONER HERE. [ARTICLE]

STATE TAX COMMISSIONER HERE.

dives An Interesting Talk to Town* ship Assessors and Others. State Tax Commissioner John C. Wingate gave an interesting talk Tuesday afternoon in the county assessor’s office to several of the township assessors and county officers and a few of the common herd. The meeting was public and would no doubt have been quite largely attended had the weather been more auspioious. Mr. Wingate touched on various phases of the tax question, such as tax listing and the collection of taxes, which was all right in theory at least and it would be be better were the advioe given and recommended generally acted upon throughout the state. In 1906, he stated, the valuation of real and personal property in Indiana was double what it was in 1890, Yet there had been no reduction in tax levies and in some cases they had been increased notwithstanding the doubling of value of the taxable property over the state, “The people were asking when the levies were going to be reduced?” he said, “and they had u right to ask such questions.” The oause of the continuation of the old levies or increased levies, he stated, was in some measure dne to the great additions that had been made to our state charitable institutions, to gravel roads, paved streets, conorete sidewalks, etc., which were legitimate expenditures and were endorsed by the people. He might have added that scores of new and useless offioes had been created to help eat np the funds collected by these levies, but did not. So far as paved streets, sidewalks, etc., are concerned, they are paid generally by special assessments and have nothing to do with the regular levies. Incompetent and lax assessors

4 and county treasurers was another theme touched upon. To be good assessor, he said, required more ability than was required to fill most any county offioe. He should understand the tax law and should be a good judge of values and see that all property was listed. County treasurers who failed to make an effort to collect all the taxes levied were in a large measure responsible for high taxes, as the uncollected tax must be charged back to those who do pay—like the merchant doing a credit business who must add his losses to those who pay their accounts in order to have anything left. As an example he cited that only very recently there was in round numbers $16,500 delinquent taxes standing on the tax duplicates of Jasper oounty. Up to date, as a result of Treasurer Allman’s vigorousefforts

to collect this, $11,600 of the amount had been c.oilected and stood as an asset instead of a deficit, as formerly. He complimented Mr. Allman very highly on this showing, which was one of the best he bad found anywhere in the state. The total of such delinquent taxes in the state, most of which oould be collected if an effort was made to do so, was nearly $3,000,000. The poor man received much more for the money he paid in taxes, he argued, than the rich man, and he should consider it a 'patriotic duty to pay his small share of carrying on the sohools and other necessary institutions and of state and local government. The poor man with a family of children got just as much benefit from the public schools as the rich man with a family of children, while he might not pay but a small part in taxes of the cost of educating one child. County assessors should also be vigilant, he said, and not let property escape taxation if possible to list it. He instructed County Assessor Lewis to look into the matter of deposits in the failed banks in this locality and if money was hidden in banks that had not been listed ,for taxation, to see that it was so placed on the duplicate, and for as many years back as it could be traced.

The Indiana tax law was highly complimented, and it was not more laws that were needed on taxation but more officers who would enforce the law. Delinquent taxes must be turned over to the prosecuting attorney after a certain time, and it was then the prosecutor’s duty to prosecute the delinquents, and for each prosecution the prosecutor’s fee was $lO which the delinquent must pay together with other costs. The dog tax question was also touched upon, of course, and he stated that under a recent supreme court decision a dog that became of taxing age—three months old —after the close of the regular tax listing period, must be paid for for that year. Also, that if a dog changes owners each day in the year, each successive owner must go to the township trustee and pay the tax on said dog, under the decision. This, of course, is the law, but it is mighty poor law, it seems to us, for if the first owner has paid the tax that ought to settle the matter for that year, the same as on any other personal property. Mr. Wingate is an interesting talker and no doubt his visit here will result in considerable good.