5. Assurance to the owner that future action by the com- 

 munity will not confiscate any property resulting from his 

 effort. 



6. Division of 'risk, so both owner and community will 

 seek highest production and safety from fire. 



7. Simplicity in adoption and operation. 



Practically all forest tax reforms along these lines, whether 

 already adopted in Europe or this country or now being 

 agitated, fall, under the following classification or are com- 

 binations thereof: 



1. Annual taxation of deforested land, solely upon its land 

 value unenhanced by any growth thereon, with no taxation 

 of the crop when harvested or at most only at the rate then 

 prevailing for personal property. 



2. No annual taxation of the land, but a yield tax upon 

 the harvest at a compensating Tate specified now by law 

 (from 15 to 20 per cent is usually suggested). 



3. A compromise between the two above by applying both 

 an annual land tax and a yield tax, each reduced accordingly. 

 Various ways of reducing the annual tax are proposed, a com- 

 mon one being a flat assessment prescribed by law, sugges- 

 tion varying from $1 to $4 an acre. The best authorities seem 

 to favor fixing it at about half the prevailing rate and re- 

 stricting the yield tax to 10 per cent. 



"Either of the three plans outlined is logical. Their rela- 

 tive merit is a question of expediency, taking into account 

 the time at which the community most needs the tax and 

 the time at which the forest grower can best pay it. The 

 ultimate amount paid would be the same in all, if the yield 

 tax is scientifically based on the productive value of the land, 

 which is the only correct basis. 



To Encourage Reforesting. 



"For taxing new forests the following plan is presented: 

 1. Any land in this state which has been practically de- 

 nuded of the merchantable timber thereon by cutting or by 

 fire but is adaptable for growing new forests may, at the 

 option and request of the owner, be separately classified 



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