The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1880-12-01
TIE RATE OF TAXA TTON-THE
STATE DEBT.

TIE RATE OF TAXA IION-IHE
STATE DEBT.
Oaea the real questions with
which the solons soon to assemble as
Nashville will have to grapple aiil
be, How TO raise large revenue
without q high rate of taxation. Al
ready, snd very properly. some of
our contemporaries are turning the
mater over and locking at it, and
suggesting sources. One says: Re
peal the one thosand dollars exemp-
ton. and this will add $3.50 100000
to the list Of taxable property. A
very happy result is thus reached,
and rs cents fixed as the rate Of tax
alton
We regret to say that this is 3
mere bubble. Yet so it is. The
$1,000 exemption operates in favor
OF the few only. Not ore citizen in
ten has as much as $1,000 worth OF
personal property. II by the repeal
of this exemption fifty or seventy
five millions can be added TO the lists
Of taxable property, it will be as
much as will be doue. II Comptrol-
Ter Gaines estimate f$50O,000,000
property 10 the State is based upon
this idea. then his estimate is TOO
high by ct least 32OO,O0O.0o0.
Another says: There are 100000
! polls IN The State that ought 30 be
taxed. In view OF the census tables
and the constitution of the State,
this is q mere chimera. and is too
high an estimate by 800 900 at the
very least. In short, after the debt
shall have been compromised, the
legislature will be compelled to look
| in the main to the tax lists now made
up. Few other sources of revenue
can be found. But va opiae that
when Comptroller Gaines said the
taxable property of the State ie
worth 100000, 900 he was not far
wrong. The real fair value Of the
property listed for taxation, while ii
is set down at $4,000 900, is not
! far if auythlsg short Of Gaines fig
ures. But by present modes of as
sessment il will never be valued az
those figures. Aud right here js in
yoIved The point which we desire to
make ia this aItjcle: Our mode OF
assessment is crude, unbusiness like
and unjust. The assessment by the
justices in each county is set down
| for the State tax assessment. Eve
ry assessor meets thus, right at the
thresthold OF his work, q temptation.
IF the property in his district and
county is assessed at a fair vaIua-
ton, and this is not done in another
county, then his people will pay an
unjust proportion OF State tax. The
same applies among the civil dis
tricts in regard to county taxes.
Hence every assessor is doing his
neighbofhood and county substan-
tial favor by assessing the property
very low. An unscrupulous man is
TINS able to cheat the people of the
State, and CT the other districts in
his county, ont of their just dues.
Without celebrating, We say that
any man who will take up the Comp
troGler's reports fer a series of years
and study them in reference to this
subject, will be amazed at the glar-
ing Injustice of this whole system.
IL some counties, property is fairly
valued-in very few, however. III
others 1t has not been assessed at halt
its Value in gears To this state
meut we challenge attention. So
unjust is the system as applied to
the civil districts in counties that
years ago the Legislature attempted
q remedy In the form ef beard of
equalization for each county, COM
p0sed Of the assessors themselves
This does some good, perhaps; bat
in most counties it is practically a
farce. We press the thought: The
injustice Of the system is a crying
evil, and q remedy must be found.
| swsMuzE1..azz
The Chattanooga Times estimates