Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-04
REPORT OF TAX COMMITTEE
Real Estate Men Want Railroad
Property Assessed at Fair
Cash Value.

At the meeting OF the Real Estate ex-
change yesterday the tax committee sub
mitted the following report:
Your tax committee begs leave to report
progress. We find that the assessment of
real estate for 1903 city tax Is at full cash
value.
We have not been able to carefully ex-
anime the assessments of personal prop
erty for the reason that the personal tax
rolls have not been completed. A number
of returns examined, however, indicate that
a spirit of fairness exists. The motto of the
tax committee, Equality in taxation
seems to pervade the community and we
believe the way is opening up for a fairer
assessment for 1903 than any made in re-
cent years.
From all we can learn the franchised cor
porattons are willing to pay on a full as
From information at hand we believe the
railroads have not in past years paid their
share OF city taxes. For the year 1902 the
Union Pacific criminal property, includ-
ing main line, terminal tracks, freight and
passenger depOts. right-of-way and west
half of the Missouri river bridge. all in
Omaha. was assessed at $67, $50, and the 1902
city tax on 1t was ~S2,029.5O. This was $S5O.50
less than city 1902 tax on First National
Bank building.
The state board assessment for this year
remaining about the same as last, and the
tax commissioners making the 1903 assess
ment at full value, causes even greater dis
parity, as will be seen from the following
comparisons: If state board assessment
must be used from the tax on the First Ma
1890 80 $500. 800
one-half times the tax on the Union Pa
ciic Omaha terminals, depots and bridge.
The 1903 city tax on the Chamber of Com
merce, where this meeting Is held today,
would be two and a half times, and the
New York Life Insurance company would
pay almost ten Ines as much tax on Its
building at Seventeenth and Farnam streets
as the Union Pacific Railway company
would pay on its Omaha terminals. depots
and bridge.
of the other railroads, Many Omaha citl-
zens will pay more taxes on their homes
than either the Northwestern system or the
Burlington system will pay on its Omaha
terminals, If method OF former years is
We therefore commend the tax commits.
sloner for disregaTding the charter pro
vision requiring him TO take the state
boards assessment of railroads. choosing
rather to follow the provision of the con
stitution OF the state OF Nebraska, which
Is as follows; But such taxes shall bt
uniform IN respecl to persons and property
within the jurisdiction Of the body imposing
the same"
The state board assessed all railroad
terminals in Omaha except Omaha bridge
commissioner, aiming at cash value, as
sesSed the same at Sl3,6l7, $50. In view Of
the fact that the Union Pacific Railway
company made 1t appear in Its testimony
in the maximum freight rate cases that IL!
Omaha terminals alone were worth SIS, 600,
coo, and the fact that the Chicago, Bur
lipgton & Quincy Railroad company IL
the same cases valued. its Omaha terminal
at S7,S6S, 142, IL Is readily seen that the tai
commissioners assessments on the rail
roads do not approach full value. In view
Of the foregoing facts your tax committe,
believes the tax commissioners assessment
on railroad terminals should be material!
increased.
The following resolution, introduced b.
G. G. Wallace. was adopted:
Whereas, The report OF the tax committe,