The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1888-06-01
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THE TAX QUESTION.
40. H..

EDIToR RGIs: In my letter last week prom.
iseh to show that the taxpayers, who owe nothing
are paying half as much more than their legal
taxes ! mean that those persons who are taxed
on what they are worth and on no more are pay
ing this excess over what they should pay If they
had their rights, which they have not. because
other people are not paying taxes on what meg
are worth.
will not speak of the change that would be
made II owners OF mortgages paid taxes accord
ing TO what they are worth, because II they did,
the same amount would be deducted from the
therefore, the basis of taxation would not be in
creased in that way, or diminished.
The basis of taxation, that ls, the whole value
of property in this county on which taxes are
levied, is about S13,c0O,0OO and the sum required
each year is about $EO,O0O for State and county
uses. in this county, so that in 1887 G9h cents on
the 500 was levied to raise this $4,000.
lit can be shown that S6.500,OC0 worth of pro-
pcrty in this county escapes taxation IL will be
shown that tho taxes are one-half moro than
they ought to be and more than they would be If
every owner paid taxes according to his actual
worth in real and personal property
The law OF 1876 under which the taxes are now
collected, says that all property shall be valued
lat its full cash value not looking to u forced
sale. This is the language of the law, tsee Laws
of Md. 1875, chapter 2GO section H. and we all
know that as to poor people BY whom mean
thelandholders Of the county, it was and is val
But how. for instance, was the p, W. & b.
Itsilroad valued The whole line with its
on which IT pays dividends Of per cent. is
Sll,Sl9.3jO-in round numbers Sl2,O0O,OOO. This is
over $4,000 per mile. Eighteen miles of 1t are in
this county, and the miles in this county are us
valuable as the miles in any other county.
The law says all property shall be valued at its
mi cash value, not looking to forced sale
'fhe shares of stock sold several years ago to the
Pennsylvania Railroad for $50 per share
Yet the par value is $50 per share and is is
100000 as aforesaid or $4,000 per mile. But
1t appears that the cash value of the stock, not
At forced sale, is $50 per share, which makes
the cash value of the road which the stock re-
presents, SIS 90,aGO, or $4,000 per mile.
What is 1t assessed at? What do you think !?
The enormous sum of $4,000 per mile! One
tenth of its real cash value and that not at Il
forced sale.
We are cheated worse than this shows. All the
schemes that roguesh ingenuity has been able
To contrive are now in operation in this State to
over tax the poor struggling masses of Maryland.
One of these schemes is that the law that ought
to require all persons to pay taxes on property
according to their actual worth makes all bridges
aud all tunnels on railroads only count the sam
as IL they were the same length of common rail-
road, so that as the p, w. q ID. railroad has one
third of mile of bridge across the Susauehanna
river, in Hartford county 1t is assessed at one
third of mile of railroad, mo brdge,) which Is
5000. when the bridge probably cost a million
dollars. and the assessment ought to be $500 900 in
tead of $1,000 because half of it is in this county.
SO that as there Is no fareI way to tax railroad
than to find the value OF each mile of 1t by the
proportion 1t bears to the whole road, this road
being taxed on about IS miles in Hartford county,
Mt $4,000 per mile, and a little more for build
ings, making in all about $3G0000. is taxed only
on about one-nlnth of what land holders are pay
not looking TO forced SALE" for the Is miles of
this railroad in this county should pay on s., 700
coo, being $4,000 per mile on IS miles, and be-
lie Grace bridge. Think of this bridge and tunnel
arrangement. Bridges and tunnels cost far more
than other like lengths of railroad, yet they
count only as that much length of common rail-
road, but our land is valued at so much per acre,
and on the principle applied to railroads, the
tliem count the same as other acres. But do
theyI NO, they dn not. Why? Because al
though our fathers fought and bled that we
might have equal rights, we fail to maintain
them, and we allow the base and the artful to
cheat us, Us If we lived under the government of
u tvrannical King.
You see by what | have said that this railroad
Is paying taxes on about S360,0O0 when at the
same rate of valuation that we farmers pay on,
they should payltaxes on S32O0,O0O. which is loss
70 our taxable basis OF more than S2,SOO,OOO from
this road alone.
1t pays only $1,000 per mile on about Is miles OF
road or say altogether on about $4,000 in Har-
ford county. Ibis company borrowed $4,000 600
to build the road with, which is at the rate of
That road should be probably Sl,S0000O on its Is
miles Of road in Hartford county, and besides say
$500 600 on the half of the Havre de Grace bridge.
Thus the county is losing the taxes on about
s2.lO0O0O from wrong done in assessing that road.
because the aTSraGe cost of it appears to have
cost probably S5OO000, making In all S2,301,C0
while we have only about SlS0,OOO, Qcss than that,
Then behold the little Maryland Central. 1t
has cost, without having right of way TO pay for.
Tor much OF it, about 1900, which is about
$4,000 II mile. Those who now control it, in
order TO get things ready to take from the stock
holders what equity would give them, (but what
law will not) a proportional share in the road to
the money spent on (which came from payments
on stock, raise great cry of poverty, ana while
the road is now earning enough to pay per
cent. on the bonded debt, take what should go TO
that use. to finish the road. The income last
Voar'was about $4,000 land allowing 20 per cent.
ui that for running expenses, which is probably
more than it cost, Si2OOO is left to pay interest
with, and that is about per cent. on all the
bonded debt. Buff they issued preferred bonds
to finish the road with and used the earnings to
pay interest with, there would be no default and
they could not rob the stockholders of their in
terrSts. Il. NJ, ALLEN