The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-13
The new [ Ak LAWS.
WHAT THEIR PURPOSE is AND
WHAT THEY WILL ACCOMPLISH
ALL THE STATUTES RE-
GENTLY ENACTED BY THE
SPECIAL SESSION CLEAR
LY EXPLAINED
AND THE GREAT BENEFIT THEY
WILL BRING SET FORTH
CLEARLY AND DISTINCT
LY-voTERs, READ
THIS.

From the Parkersburg State Journal
The twentyone tax laws passed at
the special session Of the legislature
of IO4 have been published and widely
distributed The acts cover 153 print
ed pages and as they apDertain to the
entire system of collection, assessment
and disbursement of revenue, are OF
the utmost Importance and far reach
ing in their effect. They mark de-
cfded step forward toward fairer
and more just system of assessment
and lower rates of taxation and their
merits need only to be fairly consid-
cred and fully understood to meet With
general approval.
What the Acts Are In Brief.
!, I'm brief, they reduce the State tax
rate from thirty-five cents TO five cents
on the hundred dollars by 1907; in
crease certain license taxes and create
new ones thereby raising large
amount of new revenue for the State
from these sources; reduce the max
imum county levy to sixty cents in
stead of the present limit of ninety-fve
cents; limit the maximum levy for
the regular school building fund" to
twenty cents instead of forty; making
a total reduction of e5 cents in total
of S1.7o or oNE-HALF; prohibit I'M
authorized expenditures by any Off
Ger of the State. county courts or
boards of education; require the coun-
ties having special Criminal Courts to
pay the salaries of the Judges; pro
vide for Tax Commissioner, who be-
comes the head of the tax assessment
system of the State; create better
system of assessor and assessments.
much of which in regard to the duties
of the assessors goes into effect in
1909; provide for a re-assessn ent of
all the real estate of the State in 1905,
under the direction of the Tax. Com
missioner. by commissioners appoint
ed by him, the valuation being subject
to review and correction by the County
Courts and by the State Board OF
Public Works, as an equalization
board; make the first tax levies in the
new values or appraisement OF real
estate apply in 1906; provide for as
sessments of pipe lines, telegraph lines.
etc, annually by the Board Of Public
Works, requiring complete and accu-
rate sworn returns of the true and ac-
tual values of the property from these
Increase and perfect the |
collateral inheritance tax; change the |
method OF conveying prisoners TO the |
saving thousands of dol |
lars annually: fix the fees TO be |
adding new ones and raising |
old ones in the offices of Secretary of |
State and Auditor which are to so 10 |
the State hereafter as new revenue: !
require that the regularly elected as
SCISSORS OF the counties beginning in
1903, shall thereafter annually assess
he real estate as we'll as all other
property. the special re-assessment of
'eal estate of 1908 holding until that
inc: provide that corporate and all
,ther properly shall be returned for
aXatiOn at its true or actual value;
equire counties to pay $4,000 year
oward the education and support OF
heir reform school inmates and those
n the w. Va. Asylum Gormerly called
he Home for Incurables) and num-
Cr OF minor matters Oh more OF Tess
NThe general scope of these bills is
o perfect the taxation assessment sys-
en- and give it a head and 10 cause
II property lobe valued as the cOnsti-
ution contcmpIates, at its real value,
4 order that there may be GDuniform-
y and honesty in valuations of similar y
roperty: that Cd the rates OF local !
lXatiOn be greatly reduced; that CD :
irect State taxes may be wiped out /
$ far as possible, and the needed I
tate revenues raised otherwise. !
Our present system OF unequal and 8
NV values with high taxes is fatally [
Elective. The object of the new laws {
TO put corporate and all property on s
le same equal footing, to assess all S
n its value, equally and uni s
'rmly, and then to reduce State, coun- t
: and municipal taxes" f
1t viii take no more money 10 run s
cal and State governments under one h
stem than another. A full tax val Ii
alton therefore means low taxes. The c
aynote of the bills is ''faircr valua- a
ons and lower taxa ton With lower
xation invisible personal property I,
i'll more largely appear on the tax du- r.
icatcS. The State revenues are to tt