Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-04-02
NOTHING TO BE SCARED AT.

AFTER Eeallus carefully me
statement Of County Assessor Fox,
which We Published on Monday
evening, sand hearing The COM
plants and surmisings Of thepublic,
We are OF the opinion that there has
been considerable useless forebOding
over possible excessive taxation.
The old revenue law provided
that property should lie assessed at
n fair cash valuation. The new
law says it shall not be assessed at
'sless than the cash value. ''wherein
lies the great difference? The trouble
in the minds OF alarmists seems to
arise from the notion that boom
figures are to govern in Determining
''the cash value.' This we regard
as worse than borrowing trouble; it
looks more like cressiugit.
Assessor Fox was perfectly right
in asking fer instructions from the
County Court, and endeavoring to
get that body to assume portion of
the responsibility arising from some
Of the provisions Of the Bew law.
But in estimating the change in
real estate values be says: "Under
this law, Salt Lake County viii
reach this year in valuation not
less than sixty million dollars in its
inflated condition. And he goes
on To calculate what the volume of
the taxes will be on this basis, and
makes it reach considerable more
than twice the revenue Of last year
under the old law ofI2 mills on the
dollar" In this We think he Is
greatly mistaken. The mistake oc-
ours in the phrase, 'ia lie inflated
condition." Now the law does not
say that property shall be asses
ed Its cash value sin its inflated
condition. The question viii be
asked. what, then, is the rule as to
estimating "the cash value?'' It's
given very plainly in the law Itself.
Section Is says:
"The terms value and fair cash
value mean the amount at which the
properly would be taken in payment
Of a just deb: due from a solvent
debtor"
This does not look much like re-
curing property to he assessed at
"boom'' figures, or the temporary
value Gin its inflated condition.,
Nobody believes that the balloon
prices Of real estate are anything
more than a temporary ''infiatcd
condition" Nobody in his sober
senses expects assessors, in places
where this altitude has been
reached, to put his assessment fig
ures upon all real estate at 4 similar
altitude. The conscientious assessor
will seek to carry out the provisions
Of the law as they affect his official
duties, and VIII lie governed by the
definition of the law as to the terms
"vaiue'' and ''fair cash value, in
stead Of by any speculative or squirt |
prices.
All the figures in the Assessors |
estimate seem to be formed on this |
inflated I" basis. AS to the penalties |
imposed by the law for non-per-
torrance Of duty, they are all predi-
Gated on ''wilful failure or neglect. "
and wilful wrong doing as to mat
tiers "kDOwn to The Assessor" The
objects evidently are TO make taxa
ton uniform, which it ought to be.
ard 10 protect all classes Of tax
payers from discrimination and in
equality, and to subject property to
taxation which has heretofore es-
capped paying its just tribute TO the
public revenue.
There may be some things in the
law which seem severe, and one or
two points of doubtful validity. But
in the main it aims at justice and
before the law, and is not
designed to be oppressive. Itreduces
the rate Of maximum general taxa
ton 70 eight mills, and in requiring /
TO be rated at Its cash value.
does no more than provide for the
enforcement offormer provisions and
make a living law Of what was a I
lead letter. Instead OF pretending I
hat fifty per cent. or even twenty
i've per cent Of the selling price I'M
Ter the hammer is a fair cash valu-
stion ''of a piece OF property,'' it |.
makes the term cash value mean
what it says and provides for a
itrict enforcement Of its provisions.
If assessors are reasonable and :
as We have every reason !
o believe they viii be, and seek TO I
AIRY out the law according to its L
pirit and meaning and definitions. t
instead Of being Influenced by boom Il
lotions and wild speculations, we do '
rot believe the difference in taxa o
ion viii be anything alarming. =
nat the assessors or their sureties
viii be in any danger, or that the !
rouoles anticipated viii prove Of 4
'nything like the magnitude which a
n many Peoples eyes they have n
uddenly assumed. T
THE UBIQUITOUS REPORTER. "