Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
As to Tax Certificates,

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
1 was glad TO see by Saturdays Star that
Mr.. Glover Is trying to get the Commits
sioners to order the issuance Of a tax GER
uticate that Will amount TO something At
present there is no way for q purchaser to
find out if a piece of property has been sold
for taxes unless there is a tax deed on
record.
Some time must elapse between the sale
for taxes and the giving of deed by the
Commissioners, and there IS no way o! as
certaining in the interval whether there is
such a lien on the property. II a man buys
piece Of property he has the title exam
ined by one of the companies or a lawyer
who Will furnish him with an opinion on
which is noted, Collector Will certify as 10
taxes"
Now, if the property In question has been
sold FOR taxes, and tax deed given, thsn
OF course the land records show IT, and il is
noted on the abstract or certificate OF title,
but II no deed has been recorded then the
purchaser depends upon the tax certificate
showing II there is such a lien against the
property. l think Congress meant that a
tax certificate should certify 10 eN erything
in the form of taxes that MAJ be due
against the property; otherwise it is prac-
ucally worthless, and defeats the purpose
for which II Is issued. l notice the assessor
says the law contemplates the record of
an ldNtS que tne SONernfn Snt, an! that
after a tax sale the District has been sat
istied.' This may be technically the proper
construction of the wording of the law but
II IS certainly very narrow, and is open to
criticism. The innocent purchaser does
not care whether taxes are due to the gov
eminent or to an individual, so long as.
they constitute a lien upon the properly he
is purchasing.
1t is for the purpose of finding out if such
a lien does exist that he orders a certificate
| for t,,}
out in that way.
The assessor also says "it cannot be ex-
pectei that the assessor can go out of his
office and hunt up every sale of property
that is made for taxes There should lie
no occasion for him to go outside of his
Office to ascertain such facts, as that is the
proper place for all records affecting gen
eral taxes to be kept. Selling property
for taxes does not take il off the assess
ment books The clerks have to search the
books in making up a tax certificate. and
1t would involve very little extra labor for
them to note tax sales. While the subject
of tax certificates is being ventilated. |
would like to call attention to the. careless
manner in which they made up. In the
past two months several certificates have
come under my personal observation which
contained glarng errors. on one Certifica te
was noted, assessment pending for paving
alley when, as a matter of fact, the alley
had been paved and the work paid for by
private parties years ago.
Another showed general taxes due for a
certain year, when the. owner had a receipt
from the collector for the same. Other
brokers have told me of similar experiences
of their own. / trust the Commissioners
will look into this matter and order the
assessor to issue n complete and accurate
certificate of all taxes that in any way
affect the property concerned. Until this is
done the act of Congress is practically a
dead letter, the opinion of the attorney for
the District to the contrary notwithstand-
Ing. J. Y. w.