New-York tribune., 1883-06-18
JNEOU4LITY IN TAXATION.

last Legislature than its failure to revise the
tax laws. That is apparent from some facts
in regard to taxation and assessments in this
city. printed elsewhere In tO-day's TRIBUNE.
The laws for the assessment of personal prop
erty ought to have been amended so as to
apply equally to all persons, or they should have
been stricken from the statute books. They have
failed to accomplish their purpose, and the
failure becomes more complete and more un-
lust with each succeeding year. The attention
of the Legislature was urgently called by the
Governor and the State Board of Assessors
to the need of revision, but no revision was
made.
Personal property was assessed in this city
to the value of So, los. .S22, ,924 for the pres
ent wear. But when deductions were made,
under the swearing-off process allowed by
law, only about 1895, 100000 was left on
which to levy tax. The failure is evidently
not in the administration but in the laws
themselves. Although the increase OF person
atty has been more rapid in the last ten years
than that of realty, yet there has been an ac-
tual decrease of some S111 100000 in the total
assessment of personal property, while i'll the
same time there has been an increase OF ABOUT
S27S, 900 900 in the total assessment on
real estate. The aggregate of personal prop
erty now under protection of the city Is GER
tainly not less than that of real estate. But
the assessment on personally is only Is per
cent of that on realty.
1t is difficult under existing laws, to
assess personal property satisfactorily.
There are few men in the city, above
the grade of labOrer who have not
been sifted under oath at one time or another
by the Tax Commissioners. The laws have
operated TO drive families away from the city
and State, to the detrimsnt OF real estate and
10 the injury of general trade A premium Is
mt ON evasion, concealment and falsehood
and a crushing tax Oh integrity. Respect
for. and obedience to, law are impaired.
One-half the amount of the personal tax
levied in this city is now collected from cor
porations and shareholders i'll banks. That is
the only part of the tax that can be levied and
collected in anything like an equitable man
ner. A considerable part of the personal tax
now annually levied never reaches the tax
collector. There are unpaid personal taxes
now on the books of the Finance De-
partment amounting to $l5,000,O00, in
addition TO S1,G34,G70 charged off some
time ago as worthless, having been
standing on the books for many years. The
remaining mcoected sum is nearly all value
less. Real estate has to bear the burden of
that loss. Nor is that all. The assessment on
which that uncollected personal tax was
levied counted against the city in ap-
portionng the State taxes; so that it has paid
to the State in seventeen years $3,OOO,OOO on
that account, which was an unjust burden on
the city. The Tax Commissioners, therefore,
have to be careful to purge their rolls of un-
colectable personal assessments, otherwise the
unjust proportion of State taxes levied on the
city is still further increased.
Small as the ratio of assessment on personal
property is in New-Yo it is still greater than
elsewhere in the State. Despite our large tene-
ment population and the Intellectual personal
tax laws the total assessed value of property
per capita in this city is $0S2, against 1914 n
Troy. Notwithstanding the largo increase in
the assessed value Of real estate in the city this
wear. the tax rate will exceed 81 80, as compared
with So 25 last year. Under the last Repub-
lican Legislature and Governor the city's share
of the State taxes was 50, S27, 2S7; while this
year it will amount TO $4,2G6,527. The full
effect of this will not be felt in the tax bills
unit next year.