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Sec. 2, Pg. 2 - Plaindealer - Wed. April 23, 1969 The Property Tax In the past fiscal year the property tax in the United States took more from taxpayers than ever before and brought more to local governments1. Nearly $28 billion was collected in 1968, or about $140 per capita. A recent Government Finance Brief, "Property Taxation: Economic Aspects" by C. Lowell Harriss, Columbia university Professor of Economics, published by Tax Foundation, Inc., points out that this means that on the average a family, of five pays $700. In 1965 the per capita amount was $83 and the same family paid $415.. x • Other interesting points in Professor Harriss' analysis of the property tax in the United States are: 1. The property tax, a device to tax people according to their ownership, use and other ties to property, is almost exclusively a source of revenue for local governments. 2. Personal property is taxed in most instances on a hit and miss basis. Such tangible personal property as automobiles, machinery and farm animals are on the tax rolls, at various rates, but intangible personal property, such as securities and bank balances, is noted for its absence from the tax books. 3. The justification for the tax does not rest upon an adjustment of burden to a person's net worth, but the base of the tax is an estimate of the worth of each particular piece of property without regard for any debts against it. 4. Property taxes when expressed as a percentage are .small, but when applied to capital values they are often high. A 3 percent property tax equals 33 percent of the pre-tax income (and half of that after tax) from a property which yields 6 percent to the owner. A .5 percent increase would reduce the amount remaining after tax by about 8 percent. 5. When expressed in the same terms as a retail sales . tax, the property tax equals 30 percent of the pure occupancy cost of housing in some localities of the United States. 6. Business must take account of property taxes in making decisions such as where to locate. Most location decisions affected by the property taxes are not individually dramatic, perhaps scarcely identifiable, but in total property taxes can be significant. In the year 1967 the total property tax extended throughout the 102 counties in Illinois was $1,823,393,442, and the personal property part was slightly over 19 percent. Merchant Contribution The local, retailer can be. a major force in the increase in the wealth and welfare of his community. In fact, to be successful in modern business, the retailer necessarily becomes a primary factor in community progress. A suburban retail association lists some of the merchant's contribution as follows: !. "Sales efficiency. To stay in business the merchant must continuously seek more effective methods of distribution. This leads to cheaper prices for everyone. 2. "Increased motivation. Retail advertising is the most important factor in the immediate purchase of new products which reduce labor and make living more pleasant and healthful. 3. "Creation of a trade center. A community is unified by its trading center. Take away the progressive stores and the citizens focus their interests and spend their money at more distant centers. 4. "Promotion of stronger institutions. The merchant knows that good schools, stable government, and recreational and cultural facilities affect his own business, because happy, informed and active people are his best customers." Retail advertising which is the best mirror of the nature of a trading center, then, does more than sells goods from day to day. Advertising of good merchants is the repository of stimuli which keeps a community alive. Bunny Business A business man who will open a new Playboy club in Philadelphia recently advertised for bunnies to work in the new club-scheduled to open several months hence. He received several thousand replies. The girls, who must be over 21, sent pictures. Many wore bikinis, though some wore only towels. Some four hundred wore nothing at all! The operator -- and his wife -- scanned the applications and photographs. We cite this incident to show what burdens business men sometimes labor under in efforts to create jobs (and profits). Few problems equal that of having to choose between 400 nude bunnies and several thousand semi-nudes and in time, perhaps, computers can be used for this task. 7n<0eeufor MEN When selecting a gift for him. ... let us help! TfcgeetA 5TORE for MEN 1245 N. Green St., McHenry, 111. Phone 385-0047 Open Daily 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Fri. til' 9 p.m. CLOSED ON SUNDAYS . USE THE FREE GREEN STREET PARKING AREA m * {"My kid brother wants to know the ^difference between a school and \ W an institution. PUBLIC PULSE ( 1 hr IMaindenk'r invites the pulili* to use this column as tn expression of their •views on subjects of general interest in our communis. Our only request is that writers limit themselves to •SOU words or less signature, lull address and phone number. We ask. too, that one individual not wriu? on the same subject more than once each month. Ue reserve the right to delete any material which we consider libelous or in objectionable taste.) TAX DILEMMA "Dear Editor: "Another letter and a request that the voters and taxpayers give this thought. We are now told by all means of publicity, and various lawmakers, that we need a change in the Constitution and a convention in order to eliminate certain taxes which the majority of the tax payers felt could be done in this year 1969. "1 - A removal of the sales tax on food. I ask this question. When any other taxes were voted on by the legislators they did not need a convention or a constitutional change. All that was needed was a majority vote by the legislators. Why a costly expense of delegates and another election, etc? in view of the constant cry for more taxes? "2 - The personal property tax in the present Constitution reads as I read it. Anything that brings in revenue is taxable. The furniture that is needed for every day needs do not bring in revenue. The automobile that is required because the heavily built subdivisions that have sprung up in the past is needed not only to get to and from the places where we buy our daily food and other needs and also to bring the wage earner to where he can earn what it takes to pay for same brings no revenue and there is no other transportation. "3 - We are being told that there will be a census and the questions asked will be who your ancestors were and other questions such as Adolph Hitler used to find out who he should purge. We are told that if not answered we will be subject to a fine or a prison term. "I am beginning to wonder if we are day by day, in every way, adopting the Russian methods to keep our citizens in dictatorship. Think this over and contact those whom we elected to protect us from any sinis- DRIVING FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY by Paul Powell Secretary of State Inii>;itio»c!' behind tho steering wheel of ;i motor vehicle frji.s lt d to many -an ;iccid<'nt. M.inv motorists have discovered. unfortunately, that beinc in a hurry can only result in a prolonged delay because of an accident. Injuries and death may also result. It may not be the fastest way to arrive, at your destination., hut by being courteous you may avoid aii accident. And while it does not aid a hurried i trip at. all. a motorist should always be ready to yield the right-of-way. A quick start the instant, a traffic signal turns preen may also be a quick movement in the direction of an accident. Tassinp on hills and curves .is said, by many an expert to be a sure way to "pass on" to eternity. Safe travel is travel at a reasonable and proper speed. Weaving from one lane of traffic to another is one of the surer ways of heading straight for an accident. The object is to leave earlier' and arrive safely. Or if you can't leave with time to spare, remember the old adage, "better late than never." A driver in a hurry can cause untold damage, both to himself and to Others. ° For a copy of "Rules of th^ Road", write to Paul Powell, Secretary of State, Springfield, Illinois »>270<j. ter motives to undermine this great U.S.A. Americans remember, Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The Constitution that our forefathers worked to make did not have those intentions. Tell those whom you voted for that you expect them to pass laws that will let freedom ring. "Mrs. Nettie Sarley" m m » 6 s m trn a a»rvn nra r Are You New In Town? Do You Know Someone New In Town? We would like to extend a welcome to every newcomer to our community. Cris Fail ° CALL 385-4084 Fran Olsen : 385-5740 Joan Skill 385-5418 Ann Zeller - 385-0559 JJUUUUUUt 8 B 9 B-9-8JJUUL" 8.«JULgXJUUUL8-8JULiL»JL ROYAL WELCOME EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The executive committee for a much larger new organization, the Governor's Advisor^' council, has been formed by Gov. Richard B. Ogilvie toprovide him with recommendations for modernization of state government and act as a sounding board for administration programs. Ogilvie named as chairman of the executive committee Donald S. Perkins, president of Jewel companies in Melrose Park, who headed the fundraising efforts for Ogilvie's gubernatorial campaign in 1968. "I plan to make frequent use of their valuable advice in developing new programs and in improving existing ones," Ogilvie said. Perkins said the executive committee would allow the governor "easy access to the business and professional community" and provide a line of communications through which businessmen may submit ideas and recommendations to the state administration. Social Security Be {Vise Shop In McHenry QUESTION BOX BY JIM JANZ FIELD REPRESENTATIVE Today's questions are ones frequently being asked of our representatives by the people of McHenry county. The Social Security office at 2500 Grand avenue, Waukegan, reminds McHenry county residents that it has representatives meeting people at two locations in McHenry county on a regular basis. The representatives are at the Woodstock Public lib rary, 414 W. Judd, Woodstock every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon and at the Harvard city hall from 9:30 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tuesday every month. If you have a question you would like answered on Social Security in this column, please forward it to Social Security Administration Question and Answer Column, 2500 Grand Avenue, Waukegan, Illinois, 60085. Give your full name, address, and Social Security numbei-. If you do not want your name to appear, please indicate this and we will use only initials. Question: Could a young man, say 25, get a better deal by using the same amount of money as his social security contributions to buy a private insurance policy? Answer: No, not for the average or typical case. For one thing, any private insurance ' policy, or package of policies, cannot provide the same range of prdtection he gets from social security. Even if such policies were available, they would cost more than social security contributions. Question: I am 25 years old and I believe I now can get disability benefits because the necessary work credits have been reduced for workers disabled while young. I applied for benefits several years ago, but my claim was denied because I didn't have enough credit. What should I do? Answer: Apply for benefits at your social security office ' as soon as possible. The address is listed in your telephone book or you can get it at your local post office. A worker who becomes disabled before he is 24 needs credit for 1% years of work in the 3 years.before he becomes disabled. A worker disabled between 24 and 31 needs social security credits for half the time after he is 21 and before f o i k c I 2C tuniM II fAll - JMitf J.>| !°.?1 "Can I open a charge account?" For Your information Dear friends, The amount paid to the funeral director for the service and merchandise he provides ranges from nothing to over $1000, depending upon the wishes of the survivors and their ability to pay. We respectfully ask the public to be mindful of the free or low cost funeral services supplied to indigents, as well as the infrequent expensive funeral which usually rates public attention. Respectfully, f'Y ne PETER MJISTEN & SON FUNERAL HOME he becomes disabled. A worker disabled at 31 or later needs, credit for at leagt 5 years of work in the 10 years just before he becomes disabled. Question: I will be 62 in 3 months. I do not have a birth certificate, but I have secured some documents showing my age and am attempting to get more. Should I wait until I have all my records before I ap-> ply for benefits? Answer: No. You should apply now. The people at your social security office will tell you if you have enough evidence of your age. If more is needed, they will help you get the additional evidence. Question: I am 50 years old. For the past 2 years Pve been receiving disability benefits based on my own work under social security. Since my husband died recently, Pm wondering if Pm eligible for disabled widow's benefits al£o. Answer: You may be. It is possible to be eligible for benefits as a disabled worker and as a disabled widow at the same time. However, you cannot be paid both benefits. You would be paid the higher of the two benefits. Keep in mind that the social security definition of disability for widows is somewhat different than that for workers. For this reason you may not be able to get benefits as a disabled widow even though you are eligible as a disabled worker. Get in touch with your social security office for specific information, about your case. Question: I'm 70 years old. Pve heard I can make $1,680 a year and still receive all my social security benefits. Does this mean that if I earn $2,000, all my benefits will be withheld? Answer: No, you will get some benefits. If you earn $2,000, $160 in benefits will be withheld for the entire year. You can earn iq> to $1,680 and still get benefits for all months of the year. If you earn between $1,680 and $2,880, $1 in benefits is withheld for every $2 earned over $1,680. If you earn more than $2,880, then $1 in benefits is withheld for every $1 earned over $2,880. No benefits are withheld no matter how much you iearn after you reach 72, Question: I am a retired farmer. If I rent out my grain farm for cash, will the rental income count against my benefits? Answer: No, not unless you materially participate in the farm operation. Cash rental income does not count toward the $1,680 exempt amount unless you enter into an agreement to help produce the grain crop. Nor would you have to pay social security contributions on this income. Your social security office will be glad to give you a complete explanation of when farm rental income affects social security benefits. ! EDDIE the EDUCATOR says.. "HlV>£UQ: ACADEMIC GAMES Academic games can play t greater role in learning, particularly in the, social sciences, according to a Johns Hopkins University sociologist. ILLINOIS IDUCA1ION ASSOCIATION proF£sS toHv OPTOMETRIST Dr. John F, Kelly At 1224 N. Green Street, McHenry (Closed Wednesday) Eyes Examined Glasses Fitted Contact Lenses Hrs. Dally 0:30 a.m. to 5 p-m. Friday Evenings 8:30 p-m. Evenings by Appointment PHONE 385-0452 Dr. Leonard L. Bottari Eyes Examined-Glasses Fitted Contact Lenses 1303 N. Richmond Road Hours: Mon., Tues., Thurs., Frl. 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tues., Thurs., & Fri. Eve 7 p-m. to 9 p.m. Sat. 9:30 to 3:00 p.m. No Hours on Wednesday PHONE 385-4151 If No Answer Phone 385-2262 OFFICE EQUIPMENT McHenry County Office Machine* Soles - Service & Rentals Typewriters, Adders, Calculators Mon - Sat. 9:00 - 5:30 Friday till 9:00 p m. Phojie 459-1226 93 Grant St., Crystal Lake, III. METAL WORK Schroeder Metalcraft for Home and Garden Wrought Iron Railings Fireplace Screens Antiques 1705 S. Rt. 31 PHONE 385-0950 INSURANCE Earl R. Walsh Fire, Auto, Farm ft Life Representing RELIABLE COMPANIES When You Need Insurance of Any Kind PHONE 385-3300 or S85-095S S429 W Elm St, McHenry, IlL George L. Thompton General Insurance • LIFE • AUTO • HEALTH • FIRE • CASUALTY • BOAT Phone 815-385-1066 3812 W. Elm St, McHenry In McHenry Plaindealer Blffd. Dennis Conway Auto, Life, Fire State Farm Ins. Cos. 3315- W. Elm St. McHenry, Illinois 385-5285 or 385-7111 LETTER SERVICE Mimeographing • Typing Addressing • Mailing Lists McHenry County Letter Service 1212-A N. Green St- PHONE 385-5064 M o n . t h r u F r l . 8 - 5 Closed Saturdays ACCOUNTANTS Paul A. Schwegel 4410 West Route 120 McHenry. Illinois 385-4410