Show School District Taxation BJLIT LAKE CITY Feb 16 8f EditorsHerald The present school law gives to aenool districts the power to levy and collect a local option tax not to exceed 2 per cent determinable by a two thirds majority vota of taxpayers tax-payers present at a meeting called for that purpose It is desired by some persons to change the two thirds majority required to a simple majority It is to le > hoped that the change will not be made will not become law first and chiefly because be-cause there is no reason to believe that the people generally want it There are also other reason This local option tax law gives any school district power to double the taxes commonly paid by toe people of that district This is a tremendous taxing power and should be roost carefully used The twothirds vote required gees In that direction But if a simple majority of persons who may happen to be present at a meeting may levy the taX it maybe may-be made very oppressive in some districts Taxes are cash down or your effects may be seized and sold In country districts many people have very little cash and it would distress many of them to have their taxes doubled or seriously increased and not for one year alone In larger settlements and cities also many people receive but a small percentage percent-age of their earnings in cash To demand much cash from such is a species of injustice It may be sport to those whoae earnings come all in cash or to those who live on the taxes but it is death to many others who are not so fortunately fixed Further in much of the Territory if the district schools are managed by Mormons nonMormons will not send their children to the schools and vice versa For this reason largely rather than have the twothirds majority changed for the simple majority I should prefer to have the local option tax power abolished Then the school districts eould rely on donations Many people would freely give and could well afford twice as much in donations dona-tions as in taxes because taxes are I cash and donations are not necessarily neces-sarily so The twothirds rule is the wisest and will lead to laaat dissatisfaction dis-satisfaction and trouble Therefore I sustain it TRUSTEE |