The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1899-09-22
THE ASSESSMENT LAW.
One Of the Alleged Premises Of the
Republican Party.
WHAT 1T COST AND HOW LII HAS
INCREASED TAXATION.
Ats InequaIi les and Exemption of
Wealth.

The Republican party of Maryland cougratu
lates Itself upon its fulfilled promises. tne Of
Us promises WIS new assessment, and ii Jaw
authorizing re was pissed at the session of the
General Assembly III 1896. Ihe uemund tor Il
new assessment Jaw arose from the cXem ptIuHs
Of wealth and inequalities in assessment.
me people wanted all classes of property TO be
taIeu alike at Il uniform rate. The, wanted
| III 10 contribute 10 IHe public expense accord
ny 10 the!t actual worth in Real and personal
Ifpa =, is ttlC organic law provides. They ur-
l"NGa tiii wltG an as5CS>uI..n. Is t...t 'vousi
OtliiS ait CLASSES 81 pTrprri ;IirEI til" ass.
nenJ books and tax All alike, tax rate: could
De SO reduced that the burden VI the govern
neat would be 50 hghtas not IL embarrass any.
10 lOrmuiate an entirely fair and equItahie
'tsSIssllent law WIS matter bes"t VII Giin-
cultles- Ihc Jaw winch was passed by tine ! g-
stature III 1896 did not idt ct the pubic '.,.-
n NJ, and thc supplemental hi!iS Il, man cd by
Gov. LOwudcS al the command of ,OrUuc,ttI.
nilut nee as 81 ndtI proceed mt 10 bIS sign
| ing the act, made it worse instead OF maxim.
wealth. pay its just proportion OF ths puUiic
ourut tie law deliberately tx N pts IL. Under
one OF inc supp:elIcuta"J tGCS bonds cgrplit-
Gates % lEH"ntt'inesS Jl-,' CviCcncus o. sat
lsstSseH tt tntlr udrNGi N-i..u ana taEr,i [
| tine regular rate - Tate purposes auH
thirty GEMS d"d no DC1e, go. IL; lt.s, tor cvun-
| ~ EEnic:pAl ana clly pu".:9ac b. III r.
Guy Scts the whole tnrfy cents, but unCer u
decision OF the Court Ot ApEe,..s, every cuuniy
mas 10 give Co each lncrr pOrated city or tow
ID t't county one haif Ut the tax 1T t collect,
| Oh iHi@ class of property in the cry ar town.
| lha7 cutting Oh thc frrCiu" FOR cpu!iIy pEr-
p"s%s. Aud another c!Us Of property. such IS
| stock, upon which no GiVit.GDl was p,il IN t!.
| aasessnienL year, was exempt from IL lax
tI''n az all undc. tDis ICuVlsl II wa al rusy
| matter for com panirS and corporations 10 g..>s
dlNloendS III oracr that their lDck could escape
| taN2iion. Farms are taxed whether they icid
| revenue Or not, ard SO are icnantiess houses,
| stores and Offices. Farming !anGs ana town
atG ciSy prov crty Is ass ssed Il. ,hC!r cash vs!uc
| ana The a>sCSsUrs adhered pretty closely 10 :he
ystu ton VI 1876. when ,heIe had ureu Il great
derr, cation by 1896. 1t il aid instruct iu:.s
were SVEN To assasaOrS to keep up the ,iisls, as
81 tIEfF 4
| crease ot the tax rate wound seriously re-. G
| upon the republican party. Whiie bonds
| certlhcates 0l Indebtedness and evidences OF
| DEBT pay but 80 ceuts on The 500 of their
| market value. real property is taxed at 500
| i'll baltimore city and IS cents in Carroll, which
pas tne lowest county tax rate, TO .121@ III
counties have Il rate of $1UU or more.
Mortgages are favorite security in this
| state, and many millions of dollars are invested
IN Chem: one OF the demands of the people
| was that mortgages should be taxed. The Re-
| publican Legislature of 1896 inserted pco-
section 146 A.
Money invested in mortgages is mostly sur
plus money-money not needed ia actual bust
| ness or in running farm 1t is essentially
| wealth, and yet tine LEGISLATURE was very con
| slderate in taxing wealth invested in mort
cages. Holders are required to pay eight per
cent. OF the gross income, Two per cent. going
| 10 the STATE and SIX per cent for county pur-
poses where the holders reside. S1,U00mort-
gage, bearing six Per cent, would yield 81. SO
county where the holder resides.
This mortgage tax is another discrimination
| in favor OF wealth as patent as in the dlscrimi-
| nation in favor of bonds
The income from $4,000 mortgage would
yield tax of $4S in Baltimore or in any county
IN the state. The tax on $4,000 house IN
| Baltimore would be 5000 for city purposes and
for State purposes, Sl775, or a total Of S217.75.
This is discrimination in favor OF the holder
oil the mortgage Of Sl69.16.
| When there is no income from a mortgage
no taxes are paid, but taxes have to be paid
upon more than 1000 tenantless buildings in
| Baltimore. And the same Is true of tenantess
houses. stores and Offices in the towns and other
| cities of the State.
A 81 900 mortgage will pay a tax, provided
| there is six-per cent income, of $3.50. A
$1,000 farm pays county and State tax in
Carroll of S6.2712, and much higher rate in
every other county, reaching the highest point
| in Soner-et where the tax Is SLIPS.
Not only is the law discriminating in its pro-
! visions in favor of wealth, but it is full of am
oiguities and is differently construed through
out the state. The Democrats of the Senate
particularly, made strong effort to have "a
fair and equitable law, but they were outvoted
| and had to sanction the act and supplementary
! bills or be placed in the attitude of having ac-
| com plished the defeat of an assessment law.
| The law is n failure entirely in meeting public
expectation. The assessors seem TO have
nursed their jobs, as the assessment co t fully
sixty per cent. more than the assessment of
| 1876. The cost in Jew counties will illustrate
county in 1876 was $500. The cost in 1896
| was $500. In Washington county in 1876
the cost was 81 ,S35. % and in 1896 $50 622 IL.
In Prince Georges county in 1875 1904. 90
and in 1896 S12,6l0,66. In Micomico So 9nu
| in 1876 and S4,943.5S in 1895. In Carroll ia
| 1876 SS.01l; ia 1896 nearly $4,000 In ALE.
gany in 1876 $500; in 1896 S., 1881.
The assessment was stretched out over sever
| months in the counties and much longer in the
city of Baltit:, ore. The new basis was trst used
| rl lS91, and the very ncNtye over 81 Coz, 900
/ bad been taken from the books. The IL bile be-
Now will show the basis in 1896 and 1885. 1t
! will he seen that the increase was about $685.
0OOOOO, about all OF II in Baltimore city.