The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-16

State Auditor Dunn stated yesterday
that fewer applications had been re-
ceived by him for abatement of real
and personal taxes than for some years
past.
The applications for the most part
this year had come from the large
merchants in the cities and towns of
the state.
1t was the big merchant who felt the
burden of.What has seemed to the state
board of equalization a fair tax.
Auditor Dunn stated that in all cases
1t had been the policy of his admin
istration to reject all claims for abate-
ment when based on the grounds that
the assessment had been arbitrarily
made by the state board Whenever
the claim was made that the property
was assessed in error or that property
exempt from taxation had been placed
upon the rolls he confirmed the rec
Ommendation of the board of abate-
ment and ordered the county auditor
no cancel or change the figures of the
'amount assessed.
Mr. Dunn attributes the general de-
crease in the number of applications
for abatement this year to the fact
that the people of the state are be-
coming acquainted with the policy of
the office in the matter.
Mr.. Dunn thinks the tax law is very
fair in its provisions. In every case
can person or corporation who be-
lieVe that they have been unjustly as
sessed have the matter arbitrated. The
local board of review meets every July
for the purpose of considering all
claims of unequal taxation.
Only in exceptional cases could the
apportionment of the state board of
equalization be set aside, as it was
necessary to have the county board of
abatement, consisting Of the county
commissioners, pass favorably upon the
application, after which it was pre-
scented to the state auditor for final &C
ton. The law expressly provides that
the state auditor can only act in the
matter after the board of abatement
has recommended the allowance of the
claim.
Auditor Dsnn said that he would in
all cases refuse to set aside the work
of the state board of equalization He
thought that the board had arranged a
very fair distribution of the assess
ments for the state taxes, and, mas
much as nearly all the applications re-
ceived had charged that the state
board had arbitrarily" increased the
amount Of their assessment, he would
refuse to allow their claims. as he
thought the board had acted in good
faith
The policy of the office in the matter
had a tendency to make the people
more prompt in paying up their taxes.
Heretofore many people let their taxes
go by default until the tax rolls were
in the hands of the county treasurer.
When they come to pay up they found
that their assessment was for what
seemed a disproportionate amount.
They would then take the matter be-
fore the county board of abatement,
and in many cases the county board al
lowed the claim, but when it came to
the state auditor it was rejected
This had discouraged tax dodgers.
and during the last year very few ap-
plications had been received from indi-
Viduals
A numb7r of the local retail firms
made applications when the board of
equalization met last fall for a re-
duction of their taxes, but instead of
reducing their assessments the
amounts were considerably increased.
The state auditor is the last court
of appeal in the matter of payment of
taxes.