The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-03-04

In Georgia similar laws prevail. |
Returns are to be made and sworn
to as required here and as il Ohio.
All property is to be returned at its
full cash value. Yet no greater sue
cess is had than in Ohio. Holders
of bonds make no returns of them.
Owners of other personal property
deliberately falsify returns. In Sa-
vannah, watches are taxed speclti-
cally, but very few are owned there,
The same is true of Philadelphia
and the returns there are interest
ing. In 1885, with nearl y million
inhabitants the tax record shows
1880 gold watches. 545 silver
and SIS other watches, subject to
tax of 81, Is cents and SO cents res
pectively. Statistics from several
other States show the same result,
and they are all under laws fixing
uniform rate upon real and personal
property.
The experiences of New York
State is pronounced disgraceful.
Not over one-fourth Of the personal
property is taxed and of that on the
assessors books probably one-half is
assessed at 40 per cent lower than
the other half. Who pays the full
tax? It is paid by widows, children,
personal representatives, guardians,
and trustees of persons of unsound
mind. The records Of the probate
courts in these cases make true ex-
hibit. and the assessor. bound by his
oath to perform his duty, lists the
property and frequently an income
already too small to provide the
necessaries of life is robbed of a
slice sufficient to cover 2 to 4 per
cent on the principal. The same
assessor then quietly takes the re-
turns of some wealthy neighbor and
enters the absurd figures without
wincing. Sometimes even the asses
sor cannot accept statement and
such conversation as this occurs.
A taxpayer generally supposed to be
worth 100000 returns $4,000. The
assessor says: II cannot accept this
I must put you on oath" The citi
zen replies: "If you do I'll vote
against you next election" In New
York a tax commission headed by
David A. Wells made report in
1871 which is regarded as the most
comprehensive and able treatment
of the subject in America. l regret
that I have not been able to get it,
but have found and consulted fire.
quent extracts. The report suggests
an entire revision of the present tax
system. After making exhaustive
illustrations from practices under
existing laws some of the instances
of gross injustice are very striking
One give. Just after the close of
the war of secession, farmer in
central New York sold his farm for
$1,000 in the expectation that he
and his wife could then live on the
interest. The facts were we'll known
in the small community and SO he
was assessed for the full amount
which was invested in bonds. Just
at that time very heavy taxes were
created to pay off State, county and
town debts incurred for substitutes
and volunteers, ETC., and the aggre-
gate covered a little more than the
income of the $4,000. The poor old
man went to work as a day laborer
on the farm he had sold, to raise
enough to pay the balance of the
tax and support himself, meantime
the purchaser of the farm paid taxes
on 81 900 as the taxable value of the
property. To her disgrace New
York State has not yet acted on the
suggestions of the report. though
frequently urged to do so by her
governors. Other States have been
wiser. Mayor Hewett in an address
to the city in 1856 presented a very
able argument for the abolition of
the general tax or personal prop
erty.
From 1871 to 1883 the assessment
rolls of New York showed shrink
age of personal property of over
$1O7, 100000. Yet nothing is better
known than the fact that the volume
of floating wealth in that State enor-
mously increased during that time.
It is also generally the case in local
tiles where trade, commerce and
manufactures center that personal
property is largely in excess of real
ty in value. In 1856 New York
State was assessed for real estate of
| the value of S2,669, $4,000 and per-
sonal property $345, AIS, 900, or about
one eighth.
Those who have controlled legisla-
ton have in all times endeavored to
put taxation on others than them
selves. Thus we see that in England
the country gentlemen fixed a rate
of taxation on landed estates about
$50 years ago which was then very
low, and at the present time is in an
enormous disproportion to the taxes
paid by renters and others. In 1916
Richard Golden, in the Corn Law
agitation, warned the aristocracy and
landed gentry not to force the sub
ject of taxation on the middle class
es. In 1870 Mr.. Neill revived the
discussion, but without success,
against the particular tax. Prof.
Rogers says that during the great
continental wars of England the real
weight of taxation fell on the poorer
classes, but in Europe itself the bur-
den fell with crushing weight upon
the unfortunate peasant and laborer.
Prior to that terrible CONFUSION, the
French Revolution, it is estimated
that an acre of land in France pro-
duced (reduced to dollars) about
SIS rs, of which the King took 50 IS,
the landlord 81 SIS and the cultivator
or tenant 81 IS. The condition was