Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-11-14
AS to Taxes.
burlington News.l

A voluminous and valuable. though
sadly belated, report is that of Mr. j.
+. Cushman on taxation in Vermont
1t shows. among other things, some
oddities in appraisal Thus. the aver
age appraisal of farm lands in Vermont
is $1l.S3 per acre; but the appraisal by
counties varies from 1927 In Essex to
SlS06 in Grand Isle-Chittenden coming
in second highest at SIN. This, OF
course is all wrong and distributes the
burden of State taxes very unevenly.
The Commissioner suggestion by way
of remedy-but 1t seems to us a very
inadequate remedy-is a State Board OF
Equalization or State Board of Asses
sors whose members should hold office
for a period of six years. one-third of
whom should be biennially elected,
Such q board would easily keep in touch
with the values in the different parts
of the State and should have power to
establish the valuation for State and
County taxation in all towns and cities
by raising or lowering the grand list
| therein, so that each town would bear
its just share of State and County taxes"
The total valuation of the State is
! and $45,00OO0O personally. The deduc-
lions for debts owing foot up $4,000 600.
Rutland county leads in realty, 81. 39S 900
against $l5,gSOOO for Chittenden; but
Chttenden's personally is S5,717.O00,
against Rutland's S5,372, 900 They
| owe a good deal more than We do. pro-
portionally. for Chittenden's deductions
for debts are only $3503,0OO, while Rut-
lands are A.3Sl0 coo.
| In the State at large. the Commission
er finds that taxable polls pay approx
mately 10 per cent of all taxes raised
on grand list; taxable personal property
pays approximately % per cent. of all
| taxes raised on grand list; taxable real
estate pays approximately 65 per cent of
all taxes raised on grand list.
/ AS to local taxes, the average of the
entire State is just 100 cents on the dol
lar of the grand list. The lowest tax
! in the county average Is 49, in Chitten-
den; the highest, 2ll, in Bennington, with
| Lamoille chose second with 2lO.
The lowest town tax is As cents, in the
/ little community of West Haven, other
wise known as r. c. Abelville. The
{ highest is 400 cents, in the Lamoille
county mountain fastness of Belvidere.
/ Several little bankrupt towns in Ben
! nington county pay 1896 cents.
/ Two counties raise more money by
: taxation than does Chittenden. Rut-
/ land takes the lead with 1861 ,00O and
| Washington comes next with 1851 600
| Chittenden is third on the list, with
1922. 900.
| The summary of taxes for the current
! year is as follows: Grand total of all
| taxes $3.50. 1866; State taxes raised on
grand list. $26S,S22 corporation taxes
S47S.244; collateral Inheritance taxes,
| So. 0G6.
| OF the corporation taxes, however, by
| far the larger proportion is derived from
| our savings institutions-$36S.0 00 in round
| figures. In other words the humble saw
| ings of the thriftiest. the most deserv-
| ing and the most substantial part of the
| population of Vermont are taxed to the
last cent, while the millionaire's fortune
| goes free.
There are other features of Mr.. Cush-
| mans report of which we would be glad
| to speak. but we must content ourselves
with recommending the document to the
| careful study of all our tax payers.