The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-09-22
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From the Parkersburg State Journal
The went y-one tax laws passed at
the special session Of thesLegislature
Sof 900 have been published and widely
distributed. The acts cover 155 print
led pages and as they appertain to the
entire system of collection, assessment
1and isbzars ement Of revenue, are OF
the utmost TN In Dortance and far reach
ing in u heir effect. They mark a de-
ciasd step GforwerG toward g talrer
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.
# IN brief, they reduce the State tax
rate from thirty-fye cents to five. cents
s on the hundred dollars by 1907; in
crease certain license taxes and create
new, ones, thereby raising large
Z 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-fFe
cents; limit the maximum levy for
the regular school building fund" to
twenty cents instead of forty; making
"a total reduction of IS 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-
tiles having special Criminal Courts to
pay the salaries of the Judges; pro
ayiS-- 10,
comes the head of the tax assessment
system of the State: create a better
y yStela Of assessor and assessments
much of$which in regard to the duties
Il of5the assessors goes into effect in
1909; provide for a re-assessment of
4all%the real estate of the State in 1905;
under the direction of the Tax Com
missioner, by commissioners appoint
u ed by him, the valuation being, subject
! to review and correction by the County
Courts and by the State Board of
4 board: make the first tax levies in the
<newsvalues or appraisement of real
4 estate apply in 1906; provide for as
4 sessments of pipe lines, telegraph lines,
telephone lines, car lines. railroads,
etc, annually by the Board of Public
Il Works, requiring complete and accu-
rate sworn returns of the true and ac-
Z tual# values of the property from these
corporations; increase and perfect the
collateral Inheritance tax; change the
method of conveying prisoners to the
Z penitentiary- saving thousands, Of dol
4 lars annually; fix the fees to be
4 charged, adding neH ones and raising
old Ones in, the offices of. Secretary Of
q State and Auditor, which are to go to
the State hereafter as new revenues:
require that the regularly elected as
SCISSORS of the counties beginning in
1909, shall thereafter annually assess
the real estate as well as all other
property, the special re-assessment Of
real estate of 1905 holding until that
4 time , provide that corporate and all
other property shall be returned for
q taxation at its, true or actual value;
require counties to pay $4,000 a year
toward the education and support of
their reform school inmates and those
VI in the Viva. Asylum formerly called
the Home for Incurables); and num-
Der of minor matters of more or less
\ I'm pOrtance.
The general scope of these bills is
z to perfect the taxation assessment sys
\ tenn and give it a head and to cause
all property to be valued as the consti
tuition contemplates, at is real value
in order that there may be (Duniform
ity and honesty in valuations of similar
property: that CD the rates of local
taxation be greatly reduced: that (3)
direct State taxes may be wiped out
as far as possible, and the needed
State revenues raised otherwise.
Our present system of unequal and
low values with high taxes is fatally
defective. The object of the new laws
is to put corporate and all property on
the same equal footing, to assess all
z property at its value, equally and uni
forlnly, and then to reduce State coun-
: ty and municipal taxes.
It VIII take no more money to run
local and State governments under one
system than another. a full tax val
uation therefore means low taxes. The
keynote ;of the bills is s'fairer valua
tons and lower taxation With lower
taxation Invisible personal property