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

~
One of the biggest questions that the
country has to deal with IS the Ques-
ton 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
Its not 50 much the question Of levy
ing the taxes and collecting it as it IS
question of how to get the property
nrooerly returned on the Auditors
books so that the burdens Of taxation
will fall 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 q board called the Township Board
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 so much matter whether the prop
erty IS valued at it's 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
--+he rate OF taxation must necessarily
be higher or lower, fora certain amount
of money must be raised to meet the
expenses of government But there
is no sense or justice in valulng, for the
purposes of taxation, one mans prop
erty at its 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 its market value. That is, if bank
stock is worth Sl20 share it must be
returned for taxation at sl20 a share.
That is all right if every man who has
a mule or horse worth $50 piece
would return them for taxation at Sl5O;
and if land worth SO an acre would be
returned for taxation at $40 an acre,
and 50 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 full market
value when it is a patent fact to every
BODY who will trouble himself to 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 US
tice in all things. 1t is useless to say
that we have no hank 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 fixed by the Board of Equali-
zation last year. All the land OF a
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. l Township
outside of two miles from the Court
House the land is valued at $3.50 per
acre: within the two miles at $500 an
acre: in No. 2 Township it is valued at
s4.O5; in No. 8, at S3.25; in No. 4, at
1915; in No. ), at S4.l5; in No. +, at
$50; in No. I, at $3.50; in No. S, at
$3.50; in No. 9, at $3.50; in No. 10, at
$3.50; 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
wear, in No. Township is S7l; IN NO.
s. se3; in No. 9, s56; in No. 10, $50; IN
No. II, s54, and so on. Thisi is 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.