The Oroville Weekly Gazette

WORKING FOR LOWER TAXES

Launched State-Wide Effort to Reduce the Burden Under Which People are Groaning.

Mentions in the issue of the week that Frank M. Dallam, Jr., who had been actively associated in the publication of the Gazette for the past eight months had accepted a position at Seattle. That position is in the nature of assistant to the president of the State Federation of Taxpayers' associations as field director. The aims and objects of the organization are set forth in the following article and they command a character as should appeal to every taxpayer and secure his personal cooperation in bringing about the relief that the association hopes to accomplish.

The State Federation of Taxpayers' associations, organized to coordinate the work of all tax reducing organizations throughout the state, has instituted an aggressive campaign to lower the cost of government in the State of Washington and all of its subdivisions of government. The announced purpose of the State Federation is to bring about a reduction of twenty-five per cent in public expenditures and a constructive program has been outlined to this end.

The State Federation of Taxpayers' associations proposes to have local units in every county in the state and the work of organizing these units is now in progress under the direction of Frank M. Dallam, Jr., who is assistant to the president and field director of the state organization.

Tax reduction is very largely a question of business organization in government," says a statement issued by Mr. Dallam, "and it is the purpose of the State Federation of Taxpayers' associations to bring about the establishment of business methods in the conduct of all public business. Experts who have given the tax question careful study have arrived at the conclusion that public expenditures can be cut twenty-five per cent with efficient management and that is the goal of this organization. To bring about this result will require a thorough organization of taxpayers in every county.

It is not the intention of the State Federation to take away any of the functions of local tax organizations. Local tax problems must be handled through working tax units. This will require study of local conditions to determine where reductions may properly be made, and county, municipal and district tax reduction will depend to a large degree upon the activity of the different local tax reducing organizations. The State Federation will render all possible assistance to the local units.

In the definite plan of tax reduction requiring legislative enactment the State Federation of Taxpayers' associations have outlined five proposed laws and others will be developed as the study of the tax question progresses.

"The first proposed legislative enactment, as the initial step in putting business methods into government activities, is a budget law. The State Federation proposes that the budget law shall apply to each expending official of every division of government and shall hold all such expending officials personally liable, on their bonds for any expenditures in excess of the budget estimate. The emergency feature of this proposed law provides that no deficit expenditure may be authorized as an emergency except by the unanimous vote of the elective officers entitled to vote on the expenditure.

"When it is considered that the total combined deficit expenditures of the different divisions of the government in the state exceeded $10,000,000 during the years 1919 and 1920 the necessity for such a budget law will be apparent.

"Another important feature of the proposed budget law is to require the different counties to classify their county roads and to adopt a road building program in connection with the budget and to require that road money be expended only in accordance with such road building program.

"This is designed to place county road building on a business basis, free from politics, and in conformity with actual needs.

"The second proposed legislative enactment is the pay-as-you-go plan on bond issues by requiring that all future bond issues, both for new indebtedness and for refunding of present debt, shall be serial in type.

The present bonded indebtedness of all divisions of government in this state, for all purposes, is in excess of $174,000,000 on which the taxpayers are paying an annual interest charge of approximately $10,000,000. It is estimated that the serial bond plan will save between $2,500,000 and $3,000,000 annually in interest.

"The third proposal is to require all of the different divisions of government to standardize their owned automobiles and to fix a limit price which may be paid for publicly owned automobile and to provide penalties for private use of the same.

This is designed to correct one of the most wasteful extravagances in the misuse of public moneys and is certainly in line with sound business methods.

"The Federation also proposes to ask the legislature to amend the consolidated election law to apply to all counties in the state which will result in a material reduction in election costs.

"The Federation has also endorsed the plan to require that automobile plates shall be issued direct to the applicant, at the time application for license is made, by the various county auditors. Under this plan each county would receive its quota of plates and the cost of individual mailing would be saved.

"This plan is advanced as an illustration of the savings that can be made by putting business methods into the conduct of public business. Other savings of a similar nature are being worked out.

"Under the general plan of the State Federation it will be the function of the local units to force reductions in budget estimates by public demand. When these reductions are once made the budget law will effectively hold the expending officials within their estimates.

"The high tax rate now prevailing affects all classes of people, all lines of business and industry and employment. It has the tendency to prevent the ordinary citizen from becoming a home-owner. It is aimed directly at the home because of its most destructive effect is to discourage home building. This is not a political question or a class question and it should be the aim of tax organizations everywhere to recruit their membership from all walks of life.

"The State Federation of Tax Associations urges all citizens who are interested in the progress and prosperity of Washington to cooperate in this drive to reduce the cost of government."