Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-01-23

eiIiioufty WituouC IlCuoHiHS upon COLI
stitutional principles is that which shall
provide for the revision of equalization
Of assessments among the several town
ships of counties and wards of cities,
and then the revision of equalization of
the assessments among the several coun-
ties of the State.
The latter can only be accomplished
through the instrumentality of a State
board, while the former is already pro
vided for by the law, to be done by the
boards Of supervisors in counties, and
the COUNCILS of the several municipal
ties should be clothed with like powers.
and such provision made as will secure
its thorough execution in both cities
and counties. | have already, in my
| last two annual messages, called the at
| tention Of the General Assembly to this
| subject. and cannot too strongly ulge
its great importance upon your immedi-
ate attention. In my Judgment no eff
fort should be spared to rectify the er-
rors Of our present assessments 80 that
every dollars worth of. property NAV
bear its equal and just proportion of the
public burthen, and no more. 1t is
right, it is just, and it is demanded bv
the highest consideration of private in
terest and public policy, and when, if
ever, this shall be accomplished, it will
be found that the assessed valuations of
the personal and real property in the
State exceeds $500,000,000. Why, the
assessments on which the taxes of 1866
were levied, We're nearly as large az they
are now, and yet these assessments were
made very soon after the war, and be-
fore the State had scarcely begun to
recover from its terrible deyastations-
when our lands were comparatively bar
rem of Improvements and nearly all the
personal property of our citizens had
been swept away. Beyond question
personal property in the State has in
creased three fold since the war, nor
can it be doubted that there has been
a very considerable increase in the val
lie of lands in at least one-half of the
State. In the cities of the Common.
wealth alone the personal and real prop
erty, according to the city assessments.
has increased since 1865 over $500 !,
900. Apply even the standard Of valu-
ton used in 1863, and our present as
sessments would probably reach $780,
100000. While this sum is far below
the amout which an assessment ac;or-
ding the constitutional standard would
make it, let us take this as a basis of
our calculations. At the present rate of
taxation S2,0G0,O0o would be realized
from this source alone, from which de-
duct one-ffth for school purposes, and
balance Of 81, 10000 isleftto be appro
priated to the purpose Of paying the in
terest and defraying the expense of the
government. To this sum should be
added the taxes from incomes, licenses,
and other sources. Under the present
tax bill the auditor estimated that the
receipts from these sources will reach
following amounts:
Licenses 270,3l0 Sc
daatlof Licenses. sl64 So
Total. s49s, $50 SO
Now, this sum total ought to be large
ly increased, and can be, with proper
| legislation. The commissioners appoin-
ted to revise our oyster laws estimated
that if the bill which they have prepar-
ed and submitted with their report be-
comes q law the State will derive net
: revenue from this source alone of $780,
900. The Indebtedness of railroads, NO
matter where or by whom owned, is
now taxed, and if the principles be cor
rect, why not apply it to all corporations,
aud to the stocks as well as the bonds
issued by them! From this source the
revenue might be increased to $780,
| 000 The constitution authorizes the
taxation Of incomes over $500, but oul
law increases the exemption to 81 900,
and the tax, in name, is only collected
from the incomes of individuals. Why
should it be thus limited Why should
it not. be applied to all persons real and
legal? Why are corporations, which
are delicious persons or "soulless indi-
viduals, exempt from this taxi Is this
a proper and just exemption Of the con
stitution, which declares that "all taxes
shall be equal and uniform?'' Ii in
comes are taxed at all, then all incomes
should taxed, and not at the same rate.
The gross receipts or income OF insur-
ance, telegraph, express, steamship, and
some other companies, are already tax
ed, but at different rates. 1t appears to
me that this tax should be Of uniform
rate, and that the gross receipts or in
come Of all corporations should be tax
ed equally. The rate of taxation upon
the income OF individual is now fixed
by law at one per centum, and if this
be the rate established to be levied up
on all incomes, the amount Of revenue
to be derived from the source would
amount to over 100000. The total
estimated receipts from licenses iiclu-
ding liquor licenses) under our present
law is $279.475.l5. This sum may be
very justly and properly increased to
S3O0,OOU by increasing the liquor Ii
censes, and by suitable tax upon all
foreign corporations doing business in
this State whose capital is invested else
where
The auditor in his usual report OF
1871, recommends stamp tax such as
was in force in this State for some
years, beginning with the year 1S13,and
from which he estimates revenue
might be levied to the amount, of $780,
900. He says that this tax ''would
scarcely be felt by the masses of the
| people. AS temporary expedient to
relieve us from present embarrassment,
and our real and personal property fl, m
increased burthen, am inclined to in
dorse this recommendation of the chief
financial officer of the government It