The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1881-03-02
The New Assessment Law

To-day the city assessor will COM
mence the distribution Of the blanks
t. be hlled cut by our tax payers
showing a statement Of the assessable
property Of the city. The municipal
law requires that the assessor shall
hand in ms complete returns to the
city council early in MAY, and antici-
pating that strict compliance with
the amended act viii necessarily con-
sume much more time than formerly
IN completing the returns, he has com
menced the distribution Of blanks a
month earlier than uasul. Thefollowing
extracts from the amended act. passed
at the last session of our legislature,
and approved by the governor, DC
tober -, lSSO, when il became law,
set prominently fc-Jh the material and
important amendments NOW In force,
viz: All property shall be valued by
the assessor at us t,1'c cui,,e, and not
at what it would bring at public auc-
tion OF forced sale.
NJ deduction for Indebtedness shall
be made without a sworn written
statement from the party assessed,
specifying name and residence Of credi-
tor, nature Uf the debt, etc.
We recommend a careful perusal of
the extracts embOdying those amend
neRts TO every tax payer in the city.
"It shall be the duty Of the assessor
To make a ful! and complete assess
ment ot all taxable property, including
full and precise description Of the
lands ur lots So owned by such person
therein named, which description shall
correspond with the plan or plot Of
any town laid cut or recorded, and
said lands or town lots shall be valued
~ their true cash value, taking into
oonslueratiOn the Improvements "n the
land, etc, etc.
True cash value shall be held and
taken 10 mean the amount sdch prop
erty would sell for al voluntary sale
made in the ordinary course of busi-
ness, and not what II would bring at
public auction OF forced sale.
Ii shall be the duty Of the assessor
IL deduct the amount OF Indebtedness,
within the state of any person assess
ed, from the amount of his OF her tax
able property, but no such indebted
ness shall, IN any case, be deducted
unless IL Ice real bona fide indebted
ness due from the person assessed as
principal debtor. and not on account
of any contingent liability, as surety,
endorser ur otherwise: and In case of
two or more parties as principal debt
ar are Jointly or severally liable for
the payment of any such Indebtedness,
neither VI them shall be entitled tO
the deduction 81 any greater proper
ton Of II than the proportion such
debtor bears u the whole number OF
of such debtors, 10 the effect that only
the amount Of the Indebtedness shall
be deducted in favor Of all such debt
nrs, nor shall deduction be made IN
favor Of any pers"n assessed unless he
or she delivers & .he assessor a writ
ten statement, duly sworn TO, specify
ing the name and place of residence Of
the creditor. the nature of the debt.
the names Of other parties, If any,
who are liable therefor, and which
statements shall show that the debt, OF
portion thereof sought to be deducted
has not been deducted in any other
county OF place in the state, from the
assessment Of such person for that
year; and IN case such statement shall
be found to be false TO the knowledge
of the party who made it, or that such
party has willfully or recklessly made
a false statement in such a case for
the purpose Of obtaining a deduction
of Indebtedness, such party shall bg
deemed guilty Of perjury, and shall be
liable to the pains and penalties there
for.
Approved October 25, 1880"