The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-08-20
HumOrs OF the Three Mill FAX.

The payment of taxes under the new
3-mill levy is now about completed. AS
Auditor General Niles and some otter
officials still affect to regard that ex-
tremely complicated special assessment
as a passably bright piece of business, it
may be well to look at the results. To
start with, a very high degree of intelIi-
gence was required upon the part OF the
citizen in order to be able to make re-
turn under the act without on the one
hand committing technical perjury thro'
it's confused prescriptions, or on the
other making return of more than was
intended to be assessed. AS one of the
first consequences, a great many, if not
a majority, made DO return. OF those
who did there were numbers who could
not be certain whether they had exactly
filled the bill as was desired. Those who
ignored the act wholly had their person
al property guessed by the Assessors, and
80 per cent. added by the Commission
ers. According as these guesses were
shrewd or not, equality or inequality OF
taxation was insured. Considering that
the amount of an individuals personal
property affords, in most cases. the wi
dest latitude for speculation. and not
taking into account the mood of each Of
D.
of the temper and digestion of each at
the particular moment of assessing every
individual, it can be seen at glance
that there was liable to result about as
much of an approach to accuracy as in
betting upon base hall game or making
predictions of the weather.
In collective way the injustice and
inoperativeness of the tax are best shown
by the fact that the total of personal
property 10 Allegheny county that was
assessed under the 3-mill Law was seven.
teen-odd million dollars. This included
what was voluntarily returned and what
was guessed at, Yet, by other and more
exact processes of determining the per.
sonal wealth owned in the county, the
sum supposed to be actually liable to the
assessment was about SLY ,0OO. 900. in
place of SIT 100000 1t follows that
only one sixth of the whole personal
/ property paid the tax. 1t is not surpri-
sing to learn further that one wealthy
/ citizen who could not understand the
requirements of the act, was so returned
/ by the Assessors that he had to pay upor
/ one-fouTteenth of the whole amount
! assessed upon the county. Mr.. Thaw
/ who enjoyed the distinction, is no doubt
/ very rich, but sssuredly not, by any
. MEANS, IN auyJnlDB ike JnaJ proportion
| ate degree to all the rest of the commu
nifty, including the long list of othe,
/ local millionaiTes.
Property taxation is always difficult
matter. The great object should be tn
securing of equality, propOI toned t
means but any system that depend
for the most part upon voluntary return
! or Assessors estimates of the invisibl
but suspected is sure to work out un
equally. Added to that the terms of tn
3mill tax statute are hopelessly wantinj
il clearness. 1t is not the Assessors no
the Commissioners who are to be blame,
for the failure of the 3-mill act, but tn
principle and provisions of the act itsel
I which are incapable of just and salts
factory application. That it should b
I repealed at the next session of the Leg
lslatuTe, with some more certain an
! feasible method of raising revenue sub
stituted for it, need scarcely be arguet
IN view of its utter failure DisDdtch