Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1919 — COUNTY OFFICIALS ENJOINED [ARTICLE]

COUNTY OFFICIALS ENJOINED

From Collecting Taxes in 8 Town- — ships in Marion County. County officials are enjoined from attempting to collect taxes in eight townships of Marion county under the property valuations as assessed by the state board of tax commissioners in a ruling by Judge Linn D- Hay of the Marlon superior court. The ruling was given in the injunction suits of farmers In the eight townships of the county outside of Center township. Leo K. Feeler, county auditor, is enjoined from certifying to the treasurer the tax duplicates bearing the assessments as fixed by the state tax board, placing blanket increases on the assessments that previously had been fixed by township and county taxing officials. In effect, Judge Hay ruled that the action of the state board in placing a horizontal increase on the property valuations as determined by the county and township -officials was illegal and void. The plaintiffs alleged In their Injunction suits that the order of the state tax board, iplacing the increased valuation on all property, real and personal, was not taken under the powers actually granted to the board to equalize tax assessments. Judge Hay upheld this contention of the plaintiffs. U. 8. Lesh, assistant attorneygeneral, who had charge of the case .for the state, and the other attorneys for the state went Into consultation Immediately after the court’s decision. After the consultation Mr. Lesh announced that inasmuch as the issue had been exhausted in the local court the case would be appealed at once to the supreme court and the higher court would be requested to advance the case so as to decide finally the important issue, on which many other similar cases outstate are hanging-