The Morris County chronicle., 1904-05-03
TAX LAWS TO
BE ENFORCED
All Personal Property and
Even Money in Bank
VIII be Assessed.
OWNERS TO MAKE AFFIDAVITS

tion Of personal taxes in all counties
OF this State, under laws passed last
year and this year, and even money III
bank is not to be exempt from assess
ment. Those holding personal prOp-
erty must make afffdavit If called
upon to do SO, as to the amount of
their property.
The State Board will In a day or
two send out the following circular To
all assessors and collectors:
The Legislature of 1903 passed
general revision and codifcation of
the tax laws entitled, An Act for the
a assessment and Collection of Taxes
This act went into effect Dec. 20, 1908,
and with annotations, blanks, etc. was
included in the report Of the State
Board of Taxation for 1908, copy of
which was sent to every assessor and
collector in the State. The Legisla-
ture of 1904 has made a few changes in
this law, all Of which will be found in
the enclosed leaiet.
Section of the act OF 1903 pro-
vides that all property, real and per-
sonal, within the jurisdiction Of this
State, not expressly exempted BY this
act or excluded from its operation,
shall be subject to annual taxation at
its true value under this act Each
and every assessor is required to take
affidavit to the duplicate, that the
foregoing list contains the valuations
made by me, to the best of my ability,
for all of the property liable to taxa
tion in the taxing district in which
am assessor and that have
valued the same without favor or par
tiality, at its full and fair value, at
such price as inmy Judgment it would
sell for at fair sale by private con-
tract on the twentieth day Of May
| In addition to this section 50 further
provides that any assessor who shall
Iwilfully or through gross negligence
omit to make afull and fair valuation
Iof all property taxable in his taxing
Idistrict within the time prescribed
by law, or to prepare and produce MS
list and his duplicate at the Time re-
IQuired BY law, shall be guilty q 2 ;
misdemeanor.
''As stated by Mr.. Justice Llppln-
cott: The duty is a plain one to as
sess property uniformly and at it's true
{ value, There exists no such thing as !.
) a 10 per cent. or an 80 or so per cent.
value 1t is the true value under all
e the circumstances and surroundings Of
the property, and whenever public
officer, whose duty it is to assess, viii
E fully fixes higher duty Oh lower
r value than the true one. it is a nep-
!; lect Of public duty and misconduct, ii
J Office. 1t is then wilful malfeasance
or misfeasance. and the liability Of
public official is the same in both
cases..
S 1T is sometimes urged in extenua-
tion Of the custom Of the underyalua-
! tion that it can work no harm SO long
as all the property in the taxing dis
trict is assessed at a uniform percent-
age Of true value, but it is rarely that
definate percentage is selected or
adhered to. 1t not only leads to yalua
tions based solely on arbitrary figures
but it results In the grossest ineuual-
. titles in the apportionment Of the
county taxes, for the assessor Of one
: taxing district NAV assess property
( at one-third of its value. the assessor
S in a neighboring taxing district may
: assess at one-half or one-fourth. and
t still another at double the value.
( .sThe statutory provisions recurring
e assessors to assess all oroperty al
S its true value applies. of course. to
personal as well as to real property.
Tangible personal property is assessa-
BILE in the taxing district where it is
: found. and intangible personality Is
: assessable TO the owner where he re-
B sides on the twentieth day Of Nav n
: each wear Tangible nersonaltv in
+ cludes household and ottice furnish
mos nersonal effects goods n stock
J storage or PROCESS If f, manufactnre ma.
chinerv not mart ~ the real estate
} live stock vahicles water craft ana
lso 500, 49,, '0"'e.so' m"'si .s,,s eaa.o .,ss'
oo.iel s,oiDie plOpolVy Auoal's iVlo