Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-23
EouALIzEp ASSESSMENT.


The organ of tho tax shirkers raises
the cry that an increase of our
assessed valuation will cIuse great
distress to small property owners. 1t
charges that It lie the plan Of the men
who ore demanding higher assess
ments to increase the burdens OF the
smaller taxpayers "upon the false
plea that rich men will have to carry
the load"
No n knows better than the edi-
tor of the Herald that n fair equali'
zation of assessments will have
exactly an opposite effect. 1t
will decrease the burdens of the
smaller taxpayers and shift them upon
the broad shoulders Of the spectators
and capitalists who have boon able for
a to shirk the payment of their
taxes through an Ubiquitous system Of
fraudulent assessments.
A glance over the books Of Omaha
assessors Is only necessary to show
that our men Of moderate means are
paying and have been paying for years
q good deal more than their just pre-
portion Of taxation. The small lots,
the little cottages and the houses
which cost from 500 to 81, 900
to build are almost uniformly
assessed, whenever located, at about a
third Of their market valne, while
property owners like Thomas l.. Kim.
ball pay upon an assessment OF
less than n tenth. Such property
Is easy to assess according to the law.
Recent real estate transfers and new
buildings give the assessor every facil.
ity for making up his lists. There is
little to conceal and fer this reason, Ii
for no other, concsalment and q fraud
ulent assessment Is not possible. The
tax Sinking class Is not our ''rmaller
property owners" It Is composed
of men who reckon their real estate
within the limits by the acre for pur-
poses Of assessment and who sell 1t by
the lot to the smaller property owners
at from fifteen to fifty times the as
sessed valuation. The books In the
city clerks ofice show instances where
cut off from the property of these
wealthy tax sharpsrs are assessed at
from $50 to 500 while the adjacent
property Is carried for purposes of as
sessment at $50 an acre.
An equalized assessment will reduce
taxes In Omaha. 1t will decrease the
tax levy from n to three per cent.
cent, and still give US more
revenue than we now have.
By doubling the present assessed val.
uation our tax levy would be reduced
from over four cents and q hslf, as al
present, to o little over two per cent.
Every small property wner who |,
nov fairly assessed n most Of them
are, would save over 50 In taxes OF
every 800 of assessed valuation. Thii
is the hardship which our equalized
assessment would bring to all but
the wealthy tax strikers In the city.
The Herald Insists that STAKES ar.
high enough now In all good governing
conscience" No one will dsny 1t fol
a moment. Taxes are two high onl!
because tbs assessment Is too ridicu
lously low. Taxes are too high be
cause they are uaequAlly distributed
A tax levy Of over five per cent TO
state, city and county purposes Is onl,
less disgraceful than On assessed valu
ton Of %. 200. 900 In a city Of 40, 90
Inhabitants. Such tax levy
the result of such an assessment
Ii an injury to Omaha abroad and
clog to her progress at home. 1t
time that It was cut down. 1t Is tim
that q fair assessment should repr,
sent to outsiders that this city Is som'
thing more than q third class easter
village. 1t Is high time that q fa
and an impartial equalization of ASSET
ments should distribute the burden
of taxation where they belong by Il
creasing the taxes Of the ta1.shirke
and decreasing those of our clerk
mechanics and laborers.