The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-10-30
Auditor General Powers Views on
State Taxation.
From the Detroit Tribune:

from the DetrCit. Tribune:
There seems to be general willing
ness to criticise the state tax commits
sion, and a common inclination to
regard it as something which Michigan
would be better without" said Auditor
General Powers today Perhaps this
is proper, but there is another side to
the question.
'It will be remembered that the state
tax commission was born as the result
OF unique political crusade. Through
his experience in Detroit as mayor, Mr.
Pingree had come to believe that GER
tain large interests in that city and in
the state were being too favorably dealt
with. 1t is quite probable that he
was right in his view of the case. And
when he was made governor and came
to act in state matters the radicalism
and extreme views which had been
| adopted as part of his strenuous life
| as mayor were retained in his larger
state relations. He desired to do some
thing which would enable him to get
even with the railroads for their con-
slant opposition to him and to most of
his plans. He was almost persuaded
that throughout the state large inter
ests were escaping their proper share of
taxation. The demands of himself and
his lieutenants for equal taxation i'm
PEELED to radical and, think, unneces.
sary departure from former methods.
In my judgment it was mistake to
change the method of railroad taxation.
Under the old system railroad taxes
could be collected with brief letter
and two cent stamp after the report of
the railroad commissioner reached the
auditor generals office. Now it requires
the employment of large force of
clerks and the expenditure of thousands
of dollars annually and even then the
results are not so satisfactory as they
could have been made under the former
system. The same net income to the
state could have been secured through
the taxation of railroads under the old
law with saving OF annoyance to both
the railroad companies and the state, as
well as the very large amount now paid
for the expenses of the state board of
assessors.
REDUCE THE COMMISSION.
with this part of the work taken out
of the hands of the state tax commits
sion, and with the membership of the
commission reduced to three, think
mpensating value could be gained.
All through the state there are large in
dustries that control the assessing Off
GERS of their respective territories. If
an intelligent and persistent effort had
been made in the direction of correcting
glaring inequalities, and if the commits
sion had been willing to gradually work
towards the desired valuation rather
than to go by leaps in some selected
districts, think the dissatisfaction now
being expressed would not have been so
great.
II notice that one critic of the COM
mission suggests that a 80 per cent as
sessment would be just as satisfactory
as one of 100 per cent. 1t seems to me
dangerous for the people of any assess
ment district or territory to join togeth-
er in such bit of deception. The pur-
pose of all assessment laws is that prop
erty shall be assessed at its full cash
value. While there will be disagree
ment as to what constitutes full cash
value, conspiracy to depreciate values
would make for general public dishon-
esty and Generalization.
1T is argued by many of the heavier
taxpayers that certain percentage of
valuation will be required for taxes no
matter how high or how low the basis
of valuation may be, and that the bur-
den on them grows greater as the as
sessment is made nearer to the actual
value. A better policy to adopt for the
entire state would be that property
should be assessed at its full cash value
in the estimation of the assessing Off
GERS and that public expenditures should
be kept at the lowest possible point re-
CARELESS of increasing valuations.
LIMIT THE POWER.
'It would be unfortunate to let tenn
porary disappointment with the state tax
commission deprive thepeople of the state
of whatever value commission with
power to equalize taxes in all sections
of the state may possess. Such COM
mission should not cost one-fourth as
much as maintaining the organization
we now have, and, l think, its results
could be made more satisfactory if its
duties were more limited and it were
content to move gradually in the direc-
ton of satisfactory attainment as far
rs state valuations and state assessments