APwa 12/11 0348 Rajneeshees-Taxes THE DALLES, Ore. (AP) -- Companies operated by follow

APwa 12/11 0348 Rajneeshees-Taxes


   THE  DALLES,  Ore.  (AP) -- Companies operated by followers of
Indian guru  Bhagwan  Shree  Rajneesh  owe  Wasco  County  almost
$772,000 in delinquent real estate and personal property taxes.

   No  payments have been made on most of the delinquent accounts
of Rajneesh Investment  Corporation  since  December  1985,  when
Rajneeshee  leaders  announced the group's 4-year-old commune was
closing.

   Wasco County Treasurer  Linda  May  said  that  unless  a  tax
payment   is   received,   the  county  would  begin  foreclosure
proceedings in May against a $54,265  account  held  by  Rajneesh
Foundation International.

   The  commune  was  dissolved  in  February 1987 as a corporate
entity, said attorney John S. Ransom of Portland.

   The Rajneesh-owned properties in Wasco County,  including  the
former   city   of  Rajneeshpuram  and  other  developments,  are
appraised at $21.6 million by the Wasco County assessor's office.

   Only about a half-dozen Rajneeshee caretakers remain at Rancho
Rajneesh, which is for sale for $28.5 million.