The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-12
TRUE VALUE IDEAL
This Is Indiana's Ambition in Levy
Ing Taxes.
IT HAS NOT BEEN ATTAINED
Present System Is Revenue
Producer.
Correspondence Of The journal.

Correspondence of The Journal.
Indianapolis, Ind, Feb. 10.-The state
board Of tax commissioners and the coun-
ty assessors of Indiana have Just closed
their fifth annual convention in this city.
The burden Of all the addresses and dis
cussions was True cash value" No SYM
pathy was shown for any recommends
tions Of &c. an so of 80 per cent basis
The answer to all suggestions Of that sort
was: Assess at the true cash yalue.''
In case committee Of the assessors
brought in report in favor of a per cent
basis, the report was amended to read
true cash value" That is the ideal In
diana Is trying to attain. While Indiana
boasts-and with much reason--of having
the best tax laws in the United States,
she realizes that the ideal Of true cash
value Is yet far from realization.
The conference convention is of course
advisory. 1t has no legal authority to
Xix valuations. The purpose is to secure
uniformity of valuation Of the same kinds
OF property In all parts of the state, to
create enthusiasm for the true cash val
uez ideal, to brace up the assessors, to
inform them Of their powers and OF new
tax laws. The conference convention has
proved to be an immense help in the di-
rection Of enforcing the law. The first
conference was held on invitation Of the
state board of tax commissioners The
ninety-two county assessors bore their
OWE expenses or took their chances on
having the county commissioners pay
them until the conference Of 1901. The
legislature which met just before this
conference recognized the value of the
conferences by providing that the county
assessors should be paid for attendance
thereafter out of the county treasures.
To Secure Uniformity.
The governor, who is president of the
CT I'd Of of,,iS cSn l..
ly presides at the conferences. The state
auditor, secretary of state and two state
tax commissioners, who with the COVER
nor, compose the state board Of tax COM
missioners, are also present and often
read papers and take part In the discus
sions The attorney general Is always
present to answer the thousand and one
questions ninety-two assessors can put
in question box. Committees are ap-
pointed on various classes Of property.
They agree on what they believe to be the
true cash value Of mich COW or a note
bearing per cent interest and report to
the convention Naturally the committee
on distilleries is composed Of assessors
of counties in which there are distil-
leries, while the committee on pipe lines
is composed Of assessors from the nat
ural gas and oil counties. The purpose
of all this is to secure uniformity in val
uation, to prevent state Of affairs in
which a man in one county pays taxes on
80 per cent of the face value of a note
and a man in the adjoining county pays
80 or 100 per cent. The county assessor
is expected to return home and Impress
the results Of the conference on the town
ship assessors of his county.
System Not Perfect.
Despite the good repute Of Indiana tax
laws, the system is far from perfect. w.
II of n
the state board OF tax commissioners, is
Of the opinion that Indiana real estate is
assessed at from 90 to 70 per cent of it's
true cash value. A comparison of real
estate transfers and tax duplicates proves
that Mr. Harris estimate is high enough
Often land is sold for twice its assessed
value. ss z,-ysess- szg.
In Indiana real estate is appraised every
four years. The last appraisement was In
1899 That appraisement stands until
next year when, the state auditor pre-
diets there Will be great increase in the
total assessed value. The railroads, In
begging the state tax board to reduce
their assessments, have for two or three
years argued that they are assessed out
of proportion to real estate. The state
tax board seems to think there is truth
in their appeal. In 1900 the total as
sessed value of railroad property was less
than in 1899.
The Law.
What is known as the Indiana tax law
was enacted in 1891. 1t is not greatly
different from the old law except in the
assessment Of corporations. 1t gave the
state board Of tax commissioners original
jurisdict ion in assessing railroad proper
ty, the values being distributed to the
counties In proportion to mileage. Under
the operation of this law the first year,
railroad assessments jumped up over $50
per cent In 1890 the total assessed value
of railroad property was $66, zoe, 295, while
in 1891 it was 1851 ,039, 1863. The total of
all property increased about so per cent.
The following table shows immediate eff
feet of the law Of 1891 on values:
Increased Assessments.
Kinds of = - -
PROPERTY 1890 1891 Increase