The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1869-06-10
TIE STATE TAXES.

Tu our last issue was condensed
statement; ni the probable taxes to be
ra;;s"d in ,lis county We propose now
10 prepare IL simil,r statement Of thu
taxes To b. paid in the entire State, get
ting onr lacts m,!nly from the Charles
ton Mrrs:
The real property returned BY the
District A>s,>sor> VIA va'u d ut SI6,
II .O20. The Board Of Eqnal'za'i'"
has rails d this amount, hv varying ad.
duiu tu ,I'c several county returns, I"
sl25 lIl,Ois. The rctur" Of per- onal
property is S3S,S5l;254. which is un-
chnn2e'l by the Board, making the t'al
ra<abl. value "fall property III the State
SIGH. 022,342 Thisrernrn Is very much
below Governor Scutts estimate, OF
$500 900 900. and considerably less
than 500 uO0 00O. which IS the proper
value acc,rlihg tu the n sos.
sill 1t is targr enough 10 admit ot
la>ing revenue of 81 ,23J, l6S just
S53u l6S m",c than is allu" ed by til"
Appropriation bill. which Was az l"rtcd
b, the Inst L"gsl lure and signed Ivy
the Govrrnnr This law expressly tim
It's the total amount to BE- assessed, not
to exceed one million dollars. The tax
(of 5 23l.lGS) is raised by fixing the
rate If taxali"n at three quarters OF "ne
pcr cent, or srvrnty-fve cents tor eve
r, hundred dollars Of The amended AZ
>rs>ucnt.
The p'iuc.p!c on which the Board
,crcd in increasing the value of real e>-
tate, is nuc OF lhu>c aritlImcIlcal mys.
trrc, which eau moi b. discovered by
any !nanlrulati"ns "i the figures 10y *.
,rr.s ia thai Sricmc". .\s 1t VA hardly
fair to increase all alike, when thee
VS. 50 great difference in the rrIurns,
ll,. Board wiscIy ab>,alncd from an NV
craze increase for all. 1t may be that
they have stumbled upon the exp dirn'
of assessing each county at the ave'Hge
rate between its own highest and lowest
return. This supp"itluu is necessarily
Involved in fog, and is jnSt AS apt T."
be wrong as riyhr. But neither tits
nor any other nvcra-ing is just; for ITS
nnly cff ct j. To make th"s VIII" return
cd the full value of lh"ir proper ), pa!
higher tax than they ought; while
those, il any, who have returned their
,r ,pcrrv bcluw It's value, are r'w"rird
by p,yrng less rha" their !ull sh'r" "'
tax ut lasi. The just aud proper "eihrd
Of recllI,ying such wrong rrturnS Is to
rraSscss every tax payer IN his "w"
merits. This we believe, would have
been too tedious and expensive to be
tried this year. The simplest plan,
then, was TO increase the rate Oi taxa'
ton ir"m three quarters "f one per cent.
r. >urh Il per cent us would have ST.
cured the tax fr"m the rc'urIs handed
in. a..
We d. mt sre any advantage t" bc
gained from thi, beating Uf his Satanic
Majesty around The stump unless II he
,ntenLcd to make the people |" l'rre
they are paying less tax ,'"" they really
are But this drlusi"n is not likely Il"
blind any bu, few tax payers; for
through The cgr"cs exemption from
taxation, il results that The vast major
Try of tax payers p"sse'sa u fair 'duca''"n
however the e ,se may sand as t" the
yurcrs. IL is uur, three quarters OF
onr per c"n'. sounds les Than "ne and a
quarter uf n1e bur his is II" great nd
vantage, when both rates yields the same
tax.
But to the table: The per cent. of
in,re nc in AhmvIl.e was 100 per cent.
Anderson, So; 5nlnwcll, 40; Beunfrt,
so; Charlston-Ciiy-4lh District, 20,
5rh District, lOu, 9th District, so, 7th
District, 200; Chester, 100; Chesterfield,