Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 18, Number 35, DeMotte, Jasper County, 30 July 1948 — Prevent Rise In Rates, Tax Chief Urges [ARTICLE]

Prevent Rise In Rates, Tax Chief Urges

Property Taxes Will Move Even Higher In 1949 If Payers Do Not Make Deter m i ned Stand Indiana citizens and business concerns are paying more than $1,250,000,000 a year in taxes, with prospects that property taxes in 1949 will be even higher, Harry Miesse, chairman of the board of directors of the Indiana Taxpayers Association, said. Miesse urged taxpayers to make a determined stand for ecenomy

in government to prevent further property tax increases. Federal taxes alone for the fiscal year ending June 30 cost Hoosiers $1,004,020,459. Miesse pointed out. However, he explained that federal collections for the current fiscal year will be less becaues of great reductions. "Meanwhile,” said Miesse, “our own taxes, those over which we people of Indiana are supposed to have some control, have mounted higher and a higher.” Property taxes to be paid in 1948 have increased $29,630,390 over 1947, to reach an all-time high of $171,820,960 in Indiana, he said. "The situation reminds me of a child playing with building blocks,” he said. “He learns that he can put one on top another, and then he tries a third. Eventually, he can , build higher and higher, bbt finally the structure begins to topple and all of it comes down with a crash.” Miesse pointed to other taxes which have increased the tax burden. “Gross income rax collections have reached approximately $65,000,000 a year,” he said. “Taxes on alcoholic beverages amount to nearly $16,000,000 and the new cigaret tax produced almost $13,000,000 in its first ear. Add $34,000,000 in gasoline taxes, plus $14,000,000 for car registration fees and $3,000,000 for intangible taxes and you have $145,000,000 collected from special sources. Thus Indiana tax property taxes and the taxes that were intended to relieve the property taxpayers —add up to $316,820,960, which has boosted the cost of government to totals that nobody would have believed possible a few years ago. “When the 1948 property taxes

are distributed, $8,205,775 will go to the state, $32,570,973 to the counties, $8,353,014 to the civil townships, $41,847,169 to the civil cities and towns and $80,844,030 to the schools. This is an increase over 1947 of $1,475,468 to the* state, $4,036,416, to the counties, $1,764,705 to the civil townships, $2,781,085 to the civil cities and towns, and $19,572,/ 16 to the school system. “A large part of the special taxes I have enumerated are dis-

tributed to local units of government in an effort to keep the rates on real property down, but see What have beens Governmerft costs more and more and the budgets for next year threaten to make a rate of $5 a common thing in many tnr ing units. <d Mrs. Jay Spencer was honored at a birthday party at her home Wednesday afternoon. She received many useful and lovely gifts.