The herald., 1893-11-05
WILL SAVE THE POOR TAXPAYER.
A Suggestion as to tie Assess
ment Law.
Something About Double and Enron
eous Assessments.
City Clerk Luckenbach Tells How
tho New Rule on These
Matters IL Work.
ing. a,A &.

on this tax business" said City Clerk
Luckenbach yesterday afternoon to a
HERALD reporter. "Have you noticed
the string Of people visiting this Office
daily since tax collections began in Sep
tember? Well, two-thirdsof them come
to the Office in answer TO the words
sold for city taxes stamped in large
letters upon their tax receipts for this
year.
"Early in the year we made a tract in
dex Of all unredeemed tax sales stand
ing upon our books and checked this in
dex with the assessors field books for
the present year to see to whom the
property was assessed. From this we
stamped the notices upon the receipt
for the present year, which covers the
property sold.
"The results OF this work are some
what surprising. To date we have found
AZ double and erroneous assessments,
which have been cancelled, either on
recommendation from this office or in
compliance with the petition OF the
property owners; Is deeds which have
been issued upon double assessments,
and there are now on file ii petitions ask
ing for the cancellation of tax sale certih-
Gates which will bs presented to the
council on Monday and the work is but
fairly started.
during the months OF September and
October there were 116 certificates re-
deemed through the treasurer's Office.
1--WE have prepared q circular letter
to each person owning property, which
appears upon our books as Inredeem ed
GALES made since February, 1886, which
has been sold to private individuals,
and for all eaes made to the city, and
about the first of the year will mail
these to all who have not redeemed by
that time, and we hope that before the
time for collection of taxes in 1894 to
have most OF these Gales cleared from
the books and to have the tax sale index
upon which we are now at work in such
shape that we can tell a property owner
at glance how his property stands as
to city taXee."
''How many OF these letters have you
prepared? ?"
For the tax sales of 1S9l-92 we
mailed $50 letters, and now have on our
files 1860 letters on tax sale OF 1928,
and about 1850 on tax sales previous to
1891"
what remedy would you suggest for
these matters?"
We'll, the only way to clear up the
present sales is to keep at work notify
ing the property owners and trying to
convince them that this ia being done
Tor their benefit, and not ior filthy
lucre.
Then. according to my notion, the
law governing the assessment of prop
etty ehould be changed to make the as
sessment to property instead of to
owners. which would avoid double
assessments, and providing that all
property sold for delinquent taxes shall
be purchased by the city or state"
Would not the purchase of taxes by
the city leave IN their hands q large
amount of property, which would not
be redeemed?"
II think not, ii properly managed !;
but On the contrary | believe that at
would result in benefit not only to the
property owner, but to the municipality
as well. Take. for example, the city
tax Gales OF 1929. The tota; amount
oi taxes sold was about $4,000, of which
the city was obliged to purchase to the
amount of S240. The sales purchased
by the city represent the dregs which
nobody else would have, and the proba-
bility is that rs per cent Of them will
never be redeemed, while of the remain
ing $4,000 worth. = } to 70 per cent will be
redeemed within a year from the date OF
eae. Upon basis of go per cent being
redeemed, the total amount received
as the penalties are fixed at present
would yield about $500, or within 500
of as much. as the original amount
sold. and the percentage of redemptions
would be increased by making it the
duty of one of the present officers pro-
yided by law to look after these matters
in business way. In other words, the
city, county and state from the penal
ties charged upon the redemptions
made, would obtain the full amount OF
.the original taxes and not be left with a
lot OF worthless stuff on their hands for
which they never will be paid. In
addition it would leave property in
such shape that errors could be correr
ed without the property owner bei
placed at the mercy OF men who gr
yich from the ignorance and misfortn
OF their neighburs which to one, famit,
with the operations OF the average t..~
buyer, would appear to more thsn com
pensate lur the loss OF few hundred
dollars in taxes out OF a collection OF
about s5UO ,0uO."