Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-08
FUNNY FIGURES,
Which Made the Wealth OF the County
Appear TO be Greater Than
Last Year,
But Show the Value OF Its Realty TO
be Less-PHHgent Points About
Assessments.

The ~footipgs of the tsx-books for 1888 show
the total valuation Of Taxing District prop
erty, real and personal, to be 1888 900 greater
than last year. The assessment on person.
atty, however, exceeds lsst year $4,000,
the assessed value of real estate
over 100000 less than for 1852
his in spite Of the fact that property is worth
at least twenty-five per cent. more this year
than last.
From all hat could be learned the fault
not 80 much 10 the assessors az in the
discovery several years ago that Shelby
county, where tax assessments were then
upon the actual value Of the property,
PAID oNE-EToHTH
of the entire tax Of the State. The matter
was Investigated, and it was shown that prop
erty in other counties worth $50 8 foot, or an
acre, was returned oe the tsI-books at $40 or
SIS, while in Shelby county the taxes we're
paid on the full value. Thu. when a State
wss, cay, eighty cents, other counties
really paid but forty cent?. This led TO a
rather queer arrangement on the part Of the
county officials and tax.makers for self-pro-
lection.
1t is necessary 10 understand in the fret
place, that while the State has the power to
assess the. amount OF its W tax,
THE COUNTY COURT
has the right to fix the amount at tuch a
figure "a will meet Its " ideas.
Following out this idea, the county about
nine years ago gave their assessors TO under.
stand, sub rosa, that il would be best TO fix a
much lower value on property than it was
really worth. Their idess we're carried out,
and the amount OF revenue derived BY the
State dropped at once, away down. The
county did not suffer, however. 1t was only
necessary TO raise the amount OF the levy suf-
fciently to overcome the decrease in vslua-
ton.
THAT looks like g nice little scheme to
beat the State" said a member of the Coun-
ty Court yesterday, shut ii was simple JUS
tce. Itwas not right that We should be
made to bear 80 large a part OF the State
debt. We were willing to pay what other
counties in the State were paying, but not
more"
II is a notorious fact thst all the largest
property-owners are in favor of a
LOW RATE OF VALUATION,
and that they pretend to favor this on the
ground that a higher rate of taxation will
naturally follow. 1t is freely asserted that
there is g quantity of vacant property about
the city which is held at q speculative value,
and those who own il are enabled TO hold IL
Because of the low rate Of taxation. The
practice CT undertaking. property once be-
gun it seems to be an impossibility to draw
the line of demarkafiop. The rule Of put
ting the value at half the marketable prlce
nominslly exists, but only nominaily. 10
reality it is put.down at a third or a fourth,
or even less. As long as the large holders
spoken Of are enabled TO have their prop
erty assessed 50 low they will not cell, but
cao afford to wait until the market ia better.
IN .k.I - l.,
cited by name and location where property
is va'usd at SIS on the textbooks when the
owners have actually
REFUSED TO SELL
it for five or six times that amount. This
fact is pointed to by the wise ones as an evil
whose magnitude cannot be overestimated, as
it retards immigration and prevents men
from drawiRg about them the comforts ot'a
home. Those whose landed ~iutereats are
large WELD . power greater than might at
FIRST be supposed. Some of them actually
have their own assessors-men who feel thai
if they fell TO put a sufficiently low vslua'
ton on property that next year they will
lose the appointment, and with it certain
/ fees and emoluments for which their souls
banker. This mild form of bribery is said
TO be practiosd to a greater extent than in
few isolated cases.
others urge anotner reaeon Tor The loa
rate of valuation which is given for what i
is worth. 1t is that a Humber of the mem
bers OF the County Court are assessors, som'
Of them regularly elected year after year
and that they are
o OVER JEALOUS
about making large tax returns because thost
whose property they assess are voters, anc
that to touch a voters pocket too heavily il
probably TO lose his ballot.
The form of the assessment il also spoken
of as one that pleases the rich man ant
works an iajustIce on the poor. Printed
blanks sre distributed, and the latter fill
them up conscieutiously, giving the full
value of his modest little home. The larg
property-owner too often laughs a, thea,
little sCrupies, and puts it down at as low
figure as he thinks the assessor will psss, ant
too often the assessor thinks of next election
day and quietly leIs it slide.