The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-09-01
President Milo D. Campbell Tells VIVA,

President Milo d. Campbell Tells What
the Tax Commission is Going to Do.
The board of state tax commissioners
was authorized by the legislature to ex-
ecute and not make laws. 1t is we'll
known fact that there is no such thing
as uniformity or equality either in the
tax law itself or in its execution in the
state at this time, Different classes of
property are assessed by many different
methods and our whole system is more
or less tumble. Supervisors are not
dishonest, but nearly every assessing
officer is looking out for the other fell
lows in his county with a sort of belief
that they are trying to get the start of
his town or ward in the equalization of
property, and he, therefore, assesses
real estate and places just as low valua-
ton on the property of his town or ward
as he possibly can and keep in harmony
with his tax conscience land that is an
entirely independent conscience in our
economy
Real estate in some parts of Michigan
is assessed at near or quite its value, in
other parts at not more than one-eighth
or one-tenth of its value. Banking,
manufacturing and mercantile corpora
tons are not assessed at near their true
value, as provided by law, in many
localities and, in fact, in but few.
Probably not to exceed one twentieth
of the credits of the state, consisting of
bonds, mortgages, notes and other evil
dences of Indebtedness, is now assessed
at all 1t is reported upon good author
ity that mining corporations are pay
ing but nominal amount in the way
of taxes, compared with the amount
they ought to contribute to the support
of the state. The board has nothing to
do with the assessment or review of
assessments or taxes on railroads and
other specific tax-paying property ex-
cept to investigate their values and the
rate of taxation actually put upon such
valuation.
RECORDS WILL BE THOROUGHLY
SEARCHED.
The board of state tax commissioners
has outlined plan of work, hoping to
obtain gratifying results within the next
year The board will seek information
from any persons or source concerning
persons or corporations escaping taxa
ton on credits, or any other class of
property, and will keep the names of
informants confidential. Records will
be investigated in every county of the
state and information obtained as to all
mortgages undischarged owned by resi-
dents of Michigan. If such mortgages
have been assigned to parties outside
the state, officers in the locality where
the assignee lives will be notified of
of such assignment, that they may be
assessed for taxation in the state where
the assignee lives. The law provides
that if, in years afterward, it shall be
ascertained that blind assignments have
been taken back from parties living
outside the state of such mortgages. or
that any property has escaped taxation,
it may be assessed for period of at
least five years of back taxes. This will
prove quite embarrassing to parties
who hope to escape taxation by assign
ing their mortgages to relatives or others
outside the state, as it will quite likely
result in double taxation.
SALES COMPARED WITH ASSESSMENTS.
We shall also proceed to ascertain how
real property is being assessed in the
counties and townships of the state, by
securing list of all the sales that have
taken place tor at least one year, to-
gether with the assessed valuation of the
same property, for purposes of COM
parison. Information Is already being
sought regarding tax dodgers in various
localities Of the state, and from various
township and county officers and it will
be the aim of the board to proceed with
cut discrimination and without respect
of persons, that the meaning and spirit
of our constitution shall be enforced,
namely that all property subject to taxa
ton shall be assessed at its cash value.
1t is wellknown fact that, at the pres
ent time, real estate, whether in farm,
village or city, is bearing more than its
just share of the burden of taxation.
The board of tax commissioners Is de-
sirous of. obtaining all the information
that it can to this end A great amount
of detail work isaready outlined to the
ends above mentioned, and will be pros
ecuted as vigorously as time and assis-
lance will permit
MILO d. CAMPBELL,
President Board of State Tax Com
missioners.