Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-03-07
Tax Commissions Estimate of Market
Value Of Personal Property in Wisconsin.
1t Was Based on False Assumption.
The Commission Cut Down the
Valuation OF the Local Assessors.

Valuation Of the Local Assessors.
ISSUED In Behalf of Wisconsin Railways
In the preceding article we discussed the
Lax commission S report of the tgue value
OF country real estate. We showed that it's
estlmate was very much less than the
Gems returns We shall next consider the
lore we say anything in criticism of the
tommlsslon's estimates Of the true value Of
s she personal property, in Wisconsin we
snail state, largely in the commissions own
mates.
Tax Commission very briefly explains the
pan on which 1t computed the value of per-
sGEal property. Speaking Of it's own acts
the commission said: I'm their complta-
tlons the commission first calculated the
totai value of the personal property, by TAX
ing the average ratio of assessed valuation
TO actual value shown by real estate In
each assessment district DIT was deemed q
Ialr presumption that the assessor applied
TO personal property, or that part of it dis
covered by him, the same ratio that he ap-
pled 10 real estate) then adding the total
assessment OF personal property in each dis
trlct for five years and taking an average
ratio.'
Stated in other words the commission arbi-
trarily increased the values Of personal
property fixed by the local assessors in the
same ratio that it had already increased the
values of the real estate fixed by the same
I0cal assessors. The commission assumed
tlon prevailed in the case of personal prop
erty that the commission had found to exist
IN the case of real estate. For example, if
the average assessment for five years of the
personal property Of a certain assessment
district amounted to $4,000 and the com
mission had previously found that the real
estate of this district for the same FIVE
years had been assessed at but one-half its
true value, the commission would double the
local assessment of $4,000 to get it's
called true value of the personal property
of the district
We do not concede that the true value of
the personal property of the state can be
lieve assessors under-value personal prop
erty much more than they do real estate,
especially in large cities, and, secondly, be-
cause they find practically all of the real
estate while they find but a small part of
the personal property. The latter conten-
ton the commission comedies in measure
for 1t says lit was deemed a FAIR PRE-
SUMPTION that the assessor applied to
personal property, OR THAT PART OF IT
that he applied to real estate" In making
its valuations, however, it proceeded if it
had not made this admission.
We protest against the rough and ready
method adopted by the commission for find
ing the true value Of the personal property
In the state; and we insist that the esti-
mates Of the commission are not a safe
! guide for action. The whole controversy
| of whether or not the railroads are paying
| their fair share Of taxes depends almost en-
| tirely on the valuations placed the other
| property in the state and we shall not allow
| to go unchallenged the Tax Commissions
| estimate of the value OF personal property
| based entirely on a "preSumptiOn' which
| neither appeals to common sense nor finds
| any support In experience
| The half-hearted attempt Of the commits
| sion to discover the personal property which
| every one knows escapes taxation is to say
| the least both surprising and disappointing
for here lay its greatest field for usefulness,
! and the position of the commission is not at
all strengthened by the apology it makes
for its failure to grapple with the problem
of getting personal property on the assess
| ment rolls
We have now stated the assumption on
which the Tax Commission based it's esti-
mate of the true value of the personal prop
| erty In Wisconsin and we have also present
ed some objections to its methods of valua-
| ton and have called attention to the utter
| lack of zeal displayed by the commission
in the discharge of this, it's most important
task Having discussed its methods
now free to discuss the statistical matter
submitted by the commission.
| 1t requires but very superficial examina-
ton of the valuations made by the local
| SCISSORS and those made by the Tax Com
| mission to perceive that there was some
thing radically wrong with the method of
valuation adopted by the latter. Wherever
a local assessor made effort TO find the
personal property in his district he
| able to discover much more of this class of
| property than the commission would ac-
knowledge the district contained. In it's
first report the commission made an esti-
mate which it raised $26, 245,253 in it's sec
ond report, Of the total value of the per-
sonal property in the state.
| The local assessors In SO of the II coun-
| ties of the state have discovered and as
| sessed much more Of this class of property
| than the Tax Commission will admit to be
| In existence. Notwithstanding the fact that
| the local assessors have actually. found the
| property the commission still refuses to be
| convinced Where the local assessors re-
| turns OF personal property were higher than
| its own estimates the commission scaled
| down the assessors returns until they were
approximately equal to its own estimates.
| 1t has calmly taken the position that If the
| facts conflict with the theory 1t has
| nounced. more accurately the presump-
| ton 1t has stated, much the for
| the facts. The Tax Commission has prac-
! tically given notice that the valuations of
| personal property in the different counties
shall not exceed its own estimates; The
acts Of the commission suggest the story of
| Procrustes. the tabled highwayman Of
| Attica who is said to have reduced his
| captves in size by chopping off the limbs
| of all those whom he found too long for
| the bed he had prepared.
We do not believe the local assessors over
| valued the property OF their constituents
at the last assessment Such metamor-
It would be fully as easy to believe the
leopard could change his spots or the
Ethiopian his skin. Even the highest re-
turns made by the local assessors fall short
of the full value of the property in their
districts.
We can see no ground on which the COM
mission was justified In scaling down the
valuations of the local assessors Of 81 OF
sum Of $40, rO5. 1872. It would be interest
ing to hear from the Tax Commission ms to
the basis which Il reduced the assess
county from $3,3T4, oSo to $1,000, a26 and the
assessment Of personal property In Chip
pewa county from S5.00S,OaT TO S2,265 29S
in Grant County from So,ooS, esT to So
AGO, S63 and the assessment OF the personal