The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-07
TAXES ON CITY PROPERTY
HIGHER THAN
THOSE IN THE COUNTRY
Labor Commissioner Powers Com.
piles Some Tables Showing tho
Rate I'm Ramsey County to BE
Higher Than That of Any Other
County I'm the State-some Fig
ures ON the Subject.

county IN the State-SOme Fig.
ures Oh the Subject.
Labor Commissioner Powers has Just
completed tables on the relative taxa
ton of city property and that situated
in the country districts, which discloses
the fact that the city counties are tax
ed 10 per cent higher than the rural
counties. Another table is being pre-
pared by the labor department, and
which might be interesting in this con-
nection, Is nearly completed, and will
show a glaring discrepancy in the rela-
tive amounts taxed to the Twin Cities
IN Wnlcn st. Paul pays a much heavier
THESE figures are being complied from
tne returns In 1896. just after the state
BOARD OF equalization reduced the val
uatlon or the various classes of real
estate property in this county $50. OOO,-
ooo. Despite this fact, the figures still
snow that St Paups burden of taxation
Is heavier than that Of Minneapolis or
Du1uth. The common phrase that st.
Paul paid about one-half the taxes Of
the state some years ago. according
to the figures of the state statistician.
was not great ways from being true
Inc figures completed yesterday by
the labor commissioner prepared from
Wsrranty deeds recorded, show a range
OF from 40 to so per cent In the amounts
taxed on city property, and Mr.. Powers
states, making all due allowances for
the falsity of the consideration, which
might be named In the deed, the per-
centage would average about so per
cent, or a little over 5 per cent more
tnan the average actually recorded on
the race OF the instruments. The state
board of equalization holds that so per
cent 70 xryb;
ed, and the figures contained, after
making. allowance for any padding in
warranty deeds, will just about aver
age the figures laid down by the state
board
Another set of figures Is presented
by the values shown by the sheriff
ceertihcates, which gives the city coun-
TIES a percentage of taxation shown
ny this class of instruments as SO. &C.
against 1913 for the rural counties
Inc grand average for the state is 1872.
making the rate in st. Paul per cent
more than in any other portion of the
state and 10 per cent more than any
OF the rural counties
a rather interesting feature of the
taole Is found in the comparison be-
tween the rates Of taxation of improved
and unimproved property In the com
parison with figures recorded on the
sherl1r's certificates, the figures in the
table printed below show that the inn
proved property is assessed higher than
the unimproved, while the comparison
or the prices recorded in the warranty
aeeds Just reverses this, being explain
ed partially by the fact that In many
cases property was assessed at a high
rate during boom times when most Of
the mortgages were executed and the
further fact that consideration stated
In warranty deeds were often flcticious.
Mr.. Powers, in discussing the ia
b!es stated yesterday that In the state
OF Illinois the county of Cook was tax
ed at a much lower rate than the other
counties of the state.
Mr.. Powers says that a. combination
or circumstances have been RESPONSE
BILE for the increased rate of taxation
IN the cities Of the West and the condi-
tons which apply in Minnesota are
applicable to many of the Western
states. The rapid growth and the great
improvements made In the cities, which
have only been obtained in the East
after many years of gradual develop
ment, have made high assessments nee
essary.
The following is the comparative ta-
BILE of the percentages Of taxes to sales
by sheriff and warranty deed respect
lively between the city and country dis
tricts: