The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-06-27
THE TAXES.

The tax notices are being sent out. and 1t
is needless to say they are exciting conster-
nation and Indignation. The people were
expecting considerable increase, and We're
prepared for it, but they were not looking
TO be overwhelmed. Such notices as we
have seen, when compared with those of
last year, show that the assessor has multi
piled his figures for 1889 by something over
four hundred; that is to say, the official
valuation OF property has been increased
mere than 400 per cent This increase is
necessarily largely on real estate, as per-
sonal property remains about as it was.
AS has already been published the tax rate
has been reduced. but nothing like proper
tionately with the increased valuation.
The taxes other than those levied
by the city will be over 100
per cent, more than they were last
year, though the rate has been
brought down from IL mills to mills on
the dollar. OF course we can as yet know
nothing as to the municipal tax, the assess
ment not having been completed and the
rate not being fixed. Everyone may rest
assured, however, that the city valuation
will not fall below that of the county, the
desire to handle large sums of money be-
ing quite as keen at the city hall as it is at
the county court house.
The issuance of these tax notices will go
far towards explaining the sudden decline,
a few weeks ago, in the number of transac-
tons in Salt Lake realty. People wer
buying with avidity, hundreds eagerly in
m GIFT
nounced that the taxes would be
increased = though no such rise as
had taken place was suggested-and the
buying at once fell off and has since been
going down both in the number of the
purchasers and the amounts involved.
Just how much influence the tax increase
had On intending investors cannot be
known, but that it was considerable there
is no doubt Many buyers and real estate
agents have told US that the fear of high
taxes had caused investors to hesitate; that
If taxes were low men could afford to buy
and wait until they were able to sell or i'm
prove their property, but high taxes made
the holding of land too costly luxury to be
INDUCED in by persons of moderate means
The HERALD frankly says that it thinks
very serious mistake has been made in
this remarkable increase of taxes 1t is q
mistake that will prove injurious to the
city in that it will keep back investors
check the inflow of capital and retard de
velopment. Men of means will not bt
eager to place their money in land
and industrial enterprises where the
collector insists upon large share
Of the profits, and business mus
be unusually profitable in order to leav,
anything for the owner after the tax
gatherer has been satisfied. Things would
be somewhat different if there were rea
occasion for taking large sums from tn,
property owners. If great and necessary
public improvements were demanded o.
under way, IL there were undertakings re
quiring extraordinary expenditures, tn,
people would not object to making liberia
contributions and bearing heavy burdens
but this is not the present situation. Their
is nothing requiring unusual expenditures
Neither the county nor territory is unde
such expense as requires the squeezing O
the people for money; indeed, one como
imagine the legitimate use to which NOR
In the form of taxes last year cal
be put this year. If there be sucl
legitimate use, then we suggest that tn
spirit of progress has come upon tn
officials too suddenly and with entirely to-
much force.
It is possible that the action of tn
county court, the other day, in fixing tn
rate of taxation is final and cannot b.
changed; but If this is not the case, Their,
should be reduction of the rate to some
what counterbalance the increased assess
ment, and thus save the property owner
from what they will be very apt to think i
extortion wholly uncalled for by the exist
ing conditions and circumstances. An in
crease OF 25 per cent, would not have beel
objected. to; an increase of 125 per cent
will call forth very general and very pre-
nounced objection.