| OCR Text |
Show Editorlal Page Feature” rala Castro's Spectacular Called ‘Practical Flop’ was It delighted the Communist world what with its denunciations of “Yankee imperialism” and two TV-type panel shows put on for delegates featuring self-styled U. S. “CIA agents.” Utah County Tax Controversy $1) to $12 million. As Gov. Calvin L, Rampton has emphasized, the increased valuation is- not intended as a tax bonanza for the school districts, cities, counties, and other taxing units, He urged the officials of each taxing unit to lower the mill levy proportionately to compensate. Utah County commissioners have made the same plea. Some taxing units already have set their mill levies. Some have announced-levy cuts; others have glaimed they could not trim the mill total. With the deadline at hand, it is tirged that the remaining taxing units sharpen up their pencils and _trim off all mills they can. Meantime, as the levy-setting deadline approaches, Utah County and the State Tax Commission are locked in a-controversy over adjustments madein tax bills by the county commission sitting as a board of equalization in May and June, The Tax Commission claims the county made an “extraordinary” number of downward adjustments not in keeping with legal procedures, which will lop about $1,- 500,000 off the new assessed value, (County officials note that the ‘Tax Commission failed to mention that the valuation will be between sioners, is fair market value of the property put to its highest and best use. Property of some farmers has been assessed on & basis of a “higher use” such as subdivision development. This has resulted in astronomical increases in some cases. e understand a constitutional amendment will ‘be readied for vote of the people on assessing propertyon its actual use and not possible higher uses. Until such a vote is held, it seems to us this is no time to be too tough in hiking the values “for higher use” on land currently being used for farming. ' Meantime, the county eommissioners have asked some pertinent questions of the Tax Commission, such as: "Cross That One Off theList—It’s Not Safe"! a emane 1. Is it constitutional to in. crease the assessed valuation of part of the land in Utah County and not all of it? (The principal re-evaluating has centered on Provo and Orem.) 2. Why not impose new assessment standards on the whole state at the sametime instead of penalizing one county ahead of others? 8. Whyget technical about the equalization hearings running past the June 20 cutoff (as charged by the Tax Commission) when the erowds of protesters made it a physical impossibility to be finished by then? 4, Why was the increased assessment (to bring’ valuations up to 20 per cent of market value) Gi, fits authority. under the law, says it will assume “original jurisdictiun” and reassess these properties, giving each of the owners a chance to appear to present his the job in equal steps spread over BRUCE SHANKS, own case, The county commissioners, who were faced, during unprecedented crowded equalization sessions with many extreme cases of upward valuation, to put it mildly, have served notice they intend to fight the state’s move and try to keep Utah County people from payirg a disproportionate share of the over-all tax. «-Much of the controversy centers on agricultural land. Statutory law anddecisions of the Utah Supreme Court, say the tax commis- Penola the tax isi to do six years? left unturned in an effort to iron out inequities and arrive at an acceptablesolution. : TodayIn ¢ History Officials Should Slide Levy, Keep Faith With Taxpayers Edtor Herald: x In what the State Tax Commission said was action to comply with the law and what Gov, Rampton said was not to be taken as a tax increase, many taxpayers in the Provo-Orem area may find within the next few days that the state’s action earlier this year in raising the assessed valuation of our property will be just that, A tax incoe Only Sa our local taxing agencies reducii their mill levy can fa ae On numerous occasions Gov. Rampton and our county officlals have stated that local taxing agencies should reduce their mill levies in proportion to the increase to do so others have not. And just how greatis this increase in evaluation As to the size of the increased figures from the county offices show the increases in Orem was from an assessed valuation in 1966 of $16,800,000 to $20,000,000 in 1967. An increase of approximately 25 per cent, In the Provo area the increase to the property involved was about the same. However, when the total property for which the Provo mill levy is based is included it is slightly lower. Utilities, automobiles and other properties not affected by the state’s action must be included. In Provothis has been a twoyear program with buildings being reassessed in 1966 and land in 1967. The increase during this period was from an assessed valuation in 1965 of $33,090,000 to $41,380,000 in 1967, An increase of over 26 per cent. Again in all fairness it must be pointed outthatin the five years Prior to 1966 the assessed valuation in Provo raised an average of 5.5 per cent per year. men. ‘A thought for the day— Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle said: “In every man’s writings, the character of the writer must lie recorded.” vo School District act in-good faith we should get a reduction of 16 per cent in our mill levy, Since Provo City assesses alevy crease in revenue and still keep faith with those who pay. the bill. Let us hope they see fit to do By of 21 mills the reduction should Paul Harvey Dr. Robert Hingson of Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University is “on vacation.” He is leading 84 other medical volunteers on an expedition to conquer disease in Costa In 1961, the Communists began building the Berlin Wall. be at least 3 mills, With a milt levy of over 47 mills the school should reduce its levy by seven mills. In so doing both QuotesIn The News Two or three weeks ago I wrote how unusual I thought it was to have a telephone installed in a bathroom. Since then Pve been told things that top a bathroom telephone. Would you believe a television set in the bathroom? I didn’t either, but Gene Evans’ wife Marilyn, tells me its true! And she ought to know—they have one, . Here are three basic rules for haveng good teeth: Brush them twice a day. See your dentist twice a year, Keep your nose out of other people’s business, Con. In 1930, Capt, Frank Hawkes set an aviation speed record by flying from Los Angeles to New York City in 12 hours and 25 miniutes. In 1955, the Soviet Union announced a pending reduction in its armed forces by 640,000 This still leaves an increase state’s action in Utah County was pri‘imarily in the Provo- * of 15 per cent duetothe recent Orem areas and so only prop- state's action in raising the assessed valuation of Provo’s erty owners in these areas will properties. If our elected offibe affected to any degree, cials in Provo City and the Pro- jeep and plane and boat and horse and donkey and afoot until they have innoculated 1% million against smallpox, measles, polio, influenza, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough Dr. Hingson educated and in- spired India to practice birth control among its food-depleting population of sacred cattle, This year, Operation Brothin an effort to intercept an epidemic of measles which might otherwise sweep Central America Nicaragua on the north and Panama on the south, Perhaps never have medical missionaries been equipped with a more useful weapon than the BERRY’S WORLD jet . out Latin America they call it Dr. Hingson’s “‘pistola de la paz,” the “pistol of peace.” which sreeI i “army” grow and extend its = FORUM RULES & ~ healing hands to a dozen stricken areas of the world, While most of us vacation where we can be most comfortable, Dr. Hingson and his volunteers “‘vacation” where they are in the most danger, least comfortable — most needed, His example led the World Health Organization to use the jet inoculator to undertake immaunization of almost two billion Africans and Asians against smallpox and measles, er’s Brother selected Costa Rica receive the normal in- fi = 6 eo. By United Press Intcrnational Today is Sunday, Aug. 13, the ‘25th day of 1967 with 140 days to follow. The moon is betweenits first quarter and full phase, The morning star is Saturn, The evening star is Mars, Pioneer American reformer Lucy Stone was born on Aug. 13, 1818. On this day in history: In 1923, “Yes, We Have No Bananas” became the nation’s number onehit song, written by orchestra leader Frank Silver and pianist Irving 16) Yes sir, it's rather dish ing fo think that harems no longer exist. Besides, think of all the beautiful, frilly-frocked girls it threw on the unemploymentlist. & iH 1 is that » you're always announcing BAD Rage i fat 5i ls i “Part of the reason that your Neilson’s low, fi ifE33 zac Bu Teva e among children is only fooling himself, media, gave LASOlargely silent treatment. Presence of Carmichael in Havana wasn’t even mentioned in the Soviet press. Why do wecall our nations spies “‘secret agents,” and another nation’s secret agents “spies”? Why do we say approvingly that a man has “the Midas touch,” when the whole point of the Midas fable is that his touch was a curse and not a blessing? Why do we sy th asomeone w ho gets dr unk is “tight” when he actually is “loose” ‘Why do: we call a young child-two-years‘eld”’? Why do city people “go to bed,” but country folk “turn in”? Why do wesay “‘liverally” when most of the time we mean its opposite, “figuratively”? Why do we “‘close up” a house, but “close down’’ an office? Why do we put the unnecessary “‘up" in “hurry up,”“cheer wp,” “wake up,” “fill up,” and “clean up”? Whyis the ‘ ‘aftermath” always“unpleasant’’? And why do we say “creap at half the price,” when we usually mean exactly the opposite? t +e Gone are the days when an Indian maharajas could boast ef having 200 womenin their karem. Not only have the maharajas and other princes lost their harem—they Jost all their ruling power soon after India gained independence in 1947, Seems kind of a shame too. I think most men secretly wished that they could have had a harem like the rajas in India. Now they are gone, the only thing left for a man to wish for is a little ‘peace and quiet.’ oe But when India gained its independence, nearly 600 princes were granted either cash settlements or privy purses in return for integrating their s‘ates into India. Today, the payments are made to some 280 princes. The sums range from the Nizam’s $267,000 to $25.60 for the Talukdar of Katodia. Sources say the rajas have had a diffivult time adjusting to these small incomes after generations of living like kings, One princely person in Mysore tried hard to economize, He took te wearing homespun suits .. . with diamond buttons. fi a r i if ff i Hl | Hl i de giilzey eeree ip iitilt ut a Ceelen ai ber se Ee ea sia Fs Eg =i Phiad rr : sie zeHal i ppceegpeehag etl gf aie 143d i gee att relisgiasls @He 28Ez a8 28 i i FE zete sae a1: i i t it a hi ene ii! oH 1 f iHF3zBru z eF i Fo2kkzil' eee E eH ez fe Ay 2E5 z EB ie : i te Z ES igiHy ij } i i i : ii Fe 3g i : iaeEig;Pi =Zz FgL ghe 4gfa2: 8E i eff i si2is E: & Eg i 4 i $ rei E #7u a ga ae4 : F a i Zivzepetaeer 2 5ili iE By FRANK ¢. ROBERTSON -3 BUFFALONEWS > 6. How is it that valuation in Chopping Block iB F Piss 5. Why is it that property values in the state have increased about $75 million in the past year and more than 16 per centof this was imposed in Utah County? Weber County (comparable in size to Utah County) rose only $5 million while Utah County’s increase was more than twice that figure? The big objective in any taxing program is to fairly distribute the tax. The present controversy in Utah County should be investigated thoroughly, with no stone been more pro- nounced. Pravda, Izvestia and Tass, the principal Soviet news ” when in reality it So why do we-say a house “burns “burns down”? Or why do we always “take” a bus, but “jump into” a cab? eat Harris of the Detroit Free Press asks these and other invoked in Utah County.in a single step when the governor had in- i hardly have By B. E. (Bye) JENSEN $10 and $12 million more than last year, with the reductions. ; The Tax C too far out for even the Communists to stomach. Moscow's disapproval of Castro’s handling of LASO could By-Line oN -SBQI evs Tomorrow is the deadline for taxing units to set the mill levy on assessed property. Dueto the state’s re-evaluation program, total assessed value for the countywillbe up an estimated But at the sanie timeit not only Carmichael, but the Trinidadborn Negro’s fulminations were ORIRRINCET spectacular pretty much of a practical flop. Pre-conference attendance The Soviets stood pat in their predictions of up to 800 current line of “shifting posidelegates, observers and guests tions to meet shifting condifailed to materialize. Less than tions” and “peaceful coexisAlmost as many newsmen— half that- number showed up. tence.” 153—as_ delegates—164—attend- And Castro had to count the Castro invited U.S. black ed the 11-dayy Latin American__sewsmen to make up thattotal. power advocate Stokely CarmiSolidarity Organization (LASO) Castro called the LASO chael to attend LASO and the conference, The meeting ended conference to put over his new result subordinated the Cuban 48 hours i schedule “third front” position—the theo- premier to a secondaryrole in because of incessant bickering ry that jit takes activists in the confererce lings throughbehind closed doors between field and not icians in out. Castro got expected antirival factions. the cities to foment revolution. U.S. propaganda mileage out of ' = it aa RTUT IETF Communist SUNDAY, AUGUST13, 1967 was an attendance fizzle but left most Latin American Communists hopelessly confused as to their future course of action. es UPI Latin American Editor The evidence indicates Cuban Premier Fidel Castro's latest ereneRee: SHC ree By FRANCIS L. MCCARTHY Dedicated to the Progress And Growth of Central Utah |
