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Show Farm' Bureau Plans To Carry Tax Fight To Supreme Court 30 Per Cent Reduction in Valuation of Farm Lands To Be Demanded Through the State ;Appeals Are Planned. Aroused by the mounting extent of tax-forfeited farm property, Utah farmers, 20,000 strong, are prepared to go to the state supreme court to secure a 30 per cent reduction in the assessed valuation of farm lands throughout the state. The first step in the battle for fairer values on farm lands, more commensurate with earnings, was taken Saturday, Satur-day, when letters were mailed out to all county farm bureaus, bu-reaus, urging that county assessors be contacted with a demand de-mand for a 30 per cent reduction on farm property. farm leaders is that farm larrds, deflated by the present depression, have shrunk in value at least 30 per cent, and that assessors are charged by law with valuating property at figures not in excess of actual cash, value. If assessments are made upon an earnings basis, the farm bureau declares, it Would not be asking too much to insist upon a 50 per cent reduction. The plan of action determined upon by the farm bureau is to first submit the demands for reductions re-ductions to the county assessors, who are now engaged in assessment assess-ment work. If denied, the farmers plan to carry the fight to the county commissioners, who sit as a board of equalization in June. If necessary, the issue will be taken tak-en to the state tax commission, ! and if this resort fails, suit will be filed in the state supreme court. Committee Is Named 5 The committee representing the state farm bureau in charge of the campaign is headed by Tracy R. Welling, executive secretary, the other members being Ephraim Bergeson, Cornish; E. T. Capener, Salt Lake, and George E. Holt, Clearfield. P. C. Evans, Salt Lake attorney, legal counsel for the state farm bureau, is acting as advisor ad-visor to the committee. "Any assessor who would assess properties at values that prevailed a few years ago is violating his oath of office," the state farm bureau bu-reau charges, and urges "that unless un-less valuations are substantially reduced, there will be a constantly increasing number of defaults in , the payment of taxes, with little or no incentive to redeem." If present conditions are permitted permit-ted to contipue, the farm leaders declare, the state will eventually own the tax forefited farms and a principal source of tax revenue .will be lost to the state. Earnings Reduced The argument submitted by the |
