The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-21
REFORM THE TAX LAWS.

| The recent decision of the supreme
court which pointed out the want OF
uniformity in the assessment and col
| lection of taxes, has given Il fresh i'm
| petus TO the demand for reform thai
shall be sweeping. Being a question
| that involves all property every man
| becomes interested. Our present sys
| tenn is a fraud. Its wide discriminate
tons and OutrageS have largely grown
| out of 4 kind of competitive effort to
between townships and counties to
shield themselves at the expense OF
others. With a multitude of asses
sors, which in itself is q mistake. the
rivalry has gone on until many species
of property are not returned at one
fifth their real value. The result is
unequal burthens and distrust. In
the case of the supreme court, referred
TO, it was shown that in certain cOun-
~ the railroads We're assessed at double
the rate of other property. The Eagle
some time since published a list of
variations in county assessments on
showed n startling condition of I'M
equalities.
There is just one safe way to reach
the uniformity in the assessment and
collection of taxes. and that is by as
sessing all kinds and every species of
property at its real or true value. This
would reduce the per cent of levy in
the state more than One-half. Why
such Il standard Of valuation should
not be adopted and adhered to, there
is no sufficient answer. But as it
seems impossible by statutory penalties
TO force assessors to return all property
uniformity at the real value, a law
forbidding or limiting the state county,
township and city leyies respectively,
10 certain per cents, would force n
higher valuation or leave the state and
its municipalities without the neces-
Sary revenues. The last returned total
valuation for the state was something
over three hundred millions This is
less than one-fourth of the true yalua-
ton. If the power to levy was limit
ed TO one-third of the present rate
then in order to secure the necessary
amount of public money assessors
would be forced to raise their present
valuations on an average three times
as high, which would aggregate for
the state at least one billion of prop
erty. This would be nearer the real
value, still less, than more. In the
war made upon railway assessments.
some four years ago, the Eagle claimed
ana showed that the railroads, accord
ing TO their actual cost We're paving
Il higher rate of taxation than any
other species of property in the state.
The Emporia Republican dissented TO
the claim. Now the supreme court in
the first case brought before it. shows
that declaration TO have been true.
AS an indication of the abuses arising
under the present system and of the
way the public revenue system is run
we have but to cite that a careful ex-
animation Of actual sales of property.
as shown upon the records. compared
with the assessed value Of the same
property in the year of the sale, shows
that real estate in this state is assessed
at about "a per cent of its salable
value. The reports of the state board
Of agriculture shows that the entire
property Of the state, out |
side of railroad property, only aver
ages about IL per cent of the value of |
live stock and farm products, leaving
out merchandise, manufactures, banks. |
bonds, notes, monies and all other |
personal property. In fact, it would |
be safe to say that the entire personal |
of the state is not assessed |
1T more than 10 per cent of its actual |,
value.