Show i Penalizing Honesty i I o 0 I f t. t v 1 i HE benefits of government should accrue I f- f 1 to the law abiding citizenship Definite be exacted fromader from a arid d specific specific- penalties pen should evaders ader and ancl transgressors Conditions which i. i J reverse the principle should be remedied at I the earliest r iest possible sible mon moment ent i Under existing conditions the law taw abiding citizenship is penalized for the prompt pay pay- pay pay-I me merit men of personal property taxes on automo- automo c 0 Q Viles biles hues True the state or the county does I not but where evasion eva- eva levy evy a fine for this payment sion sj n goes unpunished the re result is practically I the same r honest must for what I The r-he taxpayer pay the evader saves In Salt Lake county last year yr y r the unpaid personal property taxes on automobiles amounted to around The evasion has as grown into a definite m system which seeks seeks to to conceal assessable property by t. giving yin false and misleading information conce conceding con- con ce ceding li g residence when obtaining license I plates from the secretary of state I This can mean only that the benefits of I government accrue to the unscrupulous The honest taxpayers not only must pay their own t taxes but they must finance the deficiency caused by evasion in the next tax collection The losses suffered by the various counties on personal property taxes each year yea are enormous In fairness to the law w abiding citizen citizenship hip I stern steps should be taken to enforce the collections A comparatively easy method I I for stopping the leak as far as automobile taxes are concerned has been suggested to tp f the e legislature Under this plan m automobile owners owners will pay or guarantee to pay their taxes to the assessor before they may obtain their license plates No doubt this will work 1 of the automobile a l hardship on the majority owners who pay their taxes but so o does the existing arrangement which compels them to pay the taxes of evaders In the interest of good government motorists mo mo- should be willing to m make ke this thi extra effort in cooperation with the officials who discourage tax x evasion |