336 THE FISCAL PROBLEM IN MISSOURI
counties, and a special study made several years ago indi-
cated the existence of considerable variations betweenseveral
sections of the same city and county. The 1929 real estate
ratio study indicated a minimum county ratio of 319, and a
maximum of 729%.
Possible changes in the administration of the tax system
include the reorganization of the equalization procedure,
which has been mentioned previously; the exemption of in-
tangibles from taxation under the general property tax,
which 1s generally held by those interested in taxation to be
the first step towards effective improvement of the adminis-
tration of the general property tax, and the taxation of
intangibles only on the basis of income; the abolition of the
township assessment system in those counties which have the
township form of government; the separate assessment of
land and buildings; the assignment of the administration of
the state income tax to the State Tax Commission, the tax to
be assessed and collected by district representatives of this
commission; the transfer of the administration of the express
company tax from the State Auditor to the State Tax Com-
mission; and possibly also the transfer of the inheritance and
gasoline taxes to the same commission.
The continuance of the state tax on general property seems
to be desirable and may be justified on administrative
grounds. Supervision of the assessment procedure can be
made effective more readily if the state has a direct interest
in the receipts from this tax. However, this does not imply
that the state rate might not be gradually reduced, if such a
step proves to be feasible.
THE Farm Tax ProBLEM IN MIssoURrI
The amount of the general property tax on farm property
in Missouri in 1927 was estimated at $20,063,000 by the
United States Department of Agriculture. In addition to
the general property tax, the farmer pays other taxes, in-
cluding the income tax, the gasoline tax, and motor vehicle
licenses. Available statistical information indicates that
farm taxes in Missouri are relatively much lower than the
average for the United States. Studies of the relation of
