Mexico weekly ledger., 1894-04-12
Attention, Taxpayers.
THE STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZA.
TI0N MAKES AN IMPORTANT
STATEMENT.
To Tax All Property ut Its Full Value
Personal Property at Cash
Price.

III itf''kk IL stekASNA
by the State Board of Equalization,
and is of Importance to taxpayers
as well as to county and city
officials.
After providing for the distribu-
ton of the report, reference is made
to sec. 1864, r. S. 1899, which pro-
yides that assessors shall enter prop
erty on their books at actual value
and personal property entered at
cash price; also to secs. 1918 and
1919, which provides for the equali-
cation of values by county boards of
equalization, and to sec. 7514,
which provides that the State Board
of Equalization equalize values
among the counties by increasing
and decreasing assessments to true
values.
The resolution then proceeds:
These statutes clearly require all
property, real and personal, to be
assessed at its true value in money.
First, it is the sworn duty of asses
sors to ssess all property at its &C
tual money value; then ii is the
duty of the State Board of Equaliza-
ton to equalize IS nearly as possible
the values of every class of property
as between the several counties of
the State; then it is the duty of the
County Boards of Equalization to
equalize the value of property as be-
tween individuals in their respective
counties. In each instance it is
clear that the law makes the true
value the basis of assessment and
equalization.
The requirements of the law, in,
stead of being complied with, have
been wholly disregarded. The valu.
atoms of personal properly, such as
horses, mules, etc.. vary in differ
ent counties from 20 to $3.50 per cent
1t not infrequently happens thai
such properties have the lowest
assessments in the best counties anC
the highest assessments in the poor.
est counties. 1t often happens tha'
adjoining counties, substantially
equal in all respects, show a differ.
ence of from 40 to IS per cent in tn,
| assessed valuations of both real and
personal property. This is mani
testify unfair and unlawful. MANY
county officers and well informed
citizens from different counties hav,
appeared before the State Board a
its present session, and have testi
fed that real estate in both town ant
country, is ordinarily assessed a
about one-third Of its actual value
and that personal property in mos
instances is assessed far below it
value in money. The moment of
ficers depart from the rules prescrib
ed by law and fix values arbitrarily
without special reference to actua
money value, great confusion ane
inequality must inevitably result
This may be illustrated by one in
stance brought to the attention O
the board: 1t has been shown tina
bank stocks in many counties hav'
been arbitrarily assessed at from
40 to 20 per cent of their face value
while in other counties they ar
assessed at 100 cents on the dolla
and more. This is unequal and IN
just as between the owners Of thiI
particular class of property.
Many countries are embarrassed
for lack of revenue arising from
differentiation in assessment, bu
the officials Of such countries con
tend that they cannot assess thei
properties at full value, when tn
properties Of other countries ar,
assessed at far below their value
without bearing more than their jus
share of taxation for State purposes
There is but one remedy, an,
that is a literal compliance with tn
law. The State Board of Equaliza
ton is required by a plain provision
of the statute to exert all its power
to prevent a continuance of thi
illegal custom, and thereby, as ia
as possible, to remedy the inequali
ties and ~injustices consequent upol
it. To this end the board recon-
mended that the county assessors o
the State assess all of the property
of whatever kind or description, OF
the assessors books, according te
its true value in money at the tim,
of the assessment in their respectiv,
counties, instead of assessing suci
property at a per centum of it
| value, as has heretofore been done
Four hundred dollars to loan OF
safe real estate. Time and term.
easy. d&w 1t j. N. BASKET.