The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-19
THE QUESTION OF TAXATION.

One of the biggest questions that the
country has to deal with is the lues-
tic;I Of taxation. 1t is question that
has puzzled the statesmen Of all ages
and no doubt will continue to puzzle
them to the end of human government.
It is not so much the question OF levy
ing the taxes and collecting it as It is
question of how to get the property
properly returned on the Auditors
books so that the burdens of taxation
will fill equally on all the owners OF
property. What we propose to say now
does not refer to that indirect taxation
known as the tariff, but the direct tax
levied and collected on property.
In every township, we believe, there
is a board called the Township Hoard
of EQUALIZATION, and then there are the
County Boards and the State Board.
The duties, as we understand it, of
these several boards, are to see that
there is an equality in valuation OF the
property in the various townships,
counties, and in the State. And it does
not 50 much matter whether the prop
erty is valued at its full value. or one
one half, or one-third its value, SO that
every mans property is valued at its
full value, or one-half, or one-third its
value, for as it is valued higher or lower
the rate of taxation must necessarily
be higher or lower, for certain amount
of money must be raised to meet the
expenses of government. But Ehere
is no sense or justice in valuing, for the
purposes of taxation, one mans prop
erty at it's full value and another mans
at one-half its value.
We notice from recent circular from
the Comptroller General that all banks
must be required to return their stock
at it's market value. That is, if bank
stock is worth 1920 share it must be
returned for taxation at Sl2O share.
That is all rightif every man who has
q mule or horse worth $50 piece
would return them for taxation at $50;
and if land worth $40 an acre would be
returned for taxation at $40 an acre,
and so on with every class of property
returned for taxation. But we cannot
see the Justice Of singing out one class
of property and requiring that it be re-
turned for taxation at its fu'' market
value when it is patent fact to every
BODY who will trouble himself 10 ex-
anime the Auditors books that other
property is not returned at its full
value.
Now we are not pretending to de-
fend the banks but we like to see u.s.
tice in all things. It is useless to say
that we have no bank stock and that
we are not personally interested in the
matter at all.
This matter of the equalization of
property is very important one. We
have published on former occasion
the valuation of real estate in this
county as tixed by the Board OF EqualI-
zation last year. All the land of
township is fixed at so much an acre
and taxed accordingly, when every one
knows that two farms adjoining may
often be very materially different IN
value. For instance in No. Township
outside of two miles from the Court
House the land is valued at $3.50 per
acre; within the two miles at $1,000 an
acre; in No. 2 Township it is valued at
81 s44.995; 955 IN No. 8, at 1926; in No. 4, at
1915: in No. 5, at S4.15; in No. 6, at
$50; in No. !, at $3.50; in No. S, at
$3.50; in No. 8, at $3.50; in No. 10, at
$500; in No. II, at $3.50. In some Sec
tions of the county this is the full valu-
alton, while in others the land is worth
the market value-twice or three
times as much. The average value OF
mules, according to the returns OF last
year, in No. l Township is S7l; IN NO.
6, s63; in No. 9, S56; in No. 10, soo; IN
No. II, s54, and so on. Thisis no doubt
a good market price for some mules
while others are worth twice or three
times as much.
We have no remedy to offer, but we
are constrained to the opinion that the
sevaral boards of equalization do not
always come up to the full measure OF
their duty. If we could get the value
of property properly equalized for taxa
ton the burden Of taxation would be
more Justly distributed and the rate OF
taxation would be much lower.