The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-26
TO ASSESS GOODS NOT
HERETOFORE TAXED
EXPERT PLATT TO
SUBMIT HIS REPORT.
Personal Property Assessment Com
mittee Of the Supervisors Will
Meet To-Day to Take OFF,
cial Action.

The personal property assessment
committee of the Board of Supervisors
will hold a meeting to-day in order to
hear the report of Advisory Expert AL
fred G.. Platt regarding certain property
which has heretofore escaped taxation.
Mr.. Plat will submit a tabuated state
ment Of such properties and the commit
tee will decide whether it will be advis-
able to turn the data over to Assessor
Dodge or submit it to the Board of
Equalization, which meets on the first
Monday in July.
Mr.. Plat is extremely DESTROYS of act
ing in harmony with the Assessor, al
though the latter declined to appoint him
as a deputy in order to arrive at the con-
illusions which he has embodied in his
report to the committee. The Assessor
has everything in hand at the present
time with regard to assessments, and Mr..
Platt's duties consisted in learning how
much property has missed being taxed.
Should the report be turned over to the
Assessor he can make the additional as
sessments accordingly He is liable I'M
der under his bond if he does not make
a proper assessment, and the informal
ton of Mr.. Plat VIII guide him in arriv-
ing at correct valuations. Mr.. Platt's re-
port will be a comprehensive review of
the situation.
In regard to merchandise in bond, the
opinion which was recently handed down
by the City and County Attorney is rath-
er eQuivocal and it is difficult to fix the
taxation on such goods in the hands Of
the original importer and in the original
packages. AS soon as package is brok
en-, however, it enters into the merchan-
disc of the State and as such must be
taxed.
In the case Of goods bottled in bond
they would come under the head of pr1-
vate bonded warehouses and as such
would be taxable. In the matter Of whis-
kies withdrawn from the internal reye-
nue. bonded warehouse in Kentucky, for
example, and exported for sale in foreign
markets and brought back to the United
States and placed in bonded warehouse
at q port of entry, it is held that goods
Of that class are not in the strict sense
imported from foreign country and in
fact are not treated as such by the Gov
eminent, which exacts only the internal
revenue tax and not the duty imposed on
foreign liquors. This point has not as
yet been definitely settled by the Su-
preme Court, but the contention is that
such reimported liquors should be taxed
as personal property.
The national banks come in for a share
Of Mr. Platt's attention in his report. The
that such banks shall be obliged to invest
in Government bonds to the extent of 80
per cent of their circulating issue. This is
a technical loan to the Government, and If
the funds cannot be taxed the shares of
stock earning dividends can be. Mr.. Platt
is now tabulating the reports filed by the
national banks with the Bank Commission
on March with a view to assessing on
something more than the franchises, on
which they have only paid taxes in the
past.
With regard to the premiums outstand
ing and in process Of collection by fire,
marine and life insurance companies in
corporated in foreign countries, it is ex-
pected that large revenues will be derived
therefrom, If they are held to be solvent
credits IT is fact that Sc, 900 are sent
away from the Pacific Coast every year
which never pays a cent of tax. Consid-
ering that the fire insurance companies
have suffered only a 2S per cent loss ratio
fair that they should be compelled to bear
the slight burden of ~ per cent taxation
for State purposes. They reap the benefits
Of fire, police, judiciary and other pro-
tections, but have never contributed to
their maintenance, at least by paying tax
es on what are held to be solvent credits.