Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-10-24
SOME FACTS
AND FIGURES ON
COUNTY TAX

L
MES the fact that under the new
law real estate and a great deal
of personal property will be
greatly increased in valuation for
taxable purposes, but they say
while this is true, there is only
Just so much tax to be raised
anyhow, and the more property
there is to be taxed the less will
be the per cent of taxes. In other
words, if you have one million
dollars to tax a certain per cent
on that one million dollars has to
be levied to raise sufficient money
to run the country, but if you
have two million dollars worth Of
property then you can raise the
same amount by cutting the levy
one-half, and so, from this kind
Of a calculation they argue the in
creased assessment does not make
taxes any higher.
When this argument is made,
and it's all the argument we have
read or heard advanced by any
body, they are making suppose
tons not sustained by experience.
The records of our own county
show a very different state of
facts to really exist. We submit
the facts and figures from the
county records that disprove this
theory.
In 1891. as we all know, the
land, town lots and buildings
thereon were reassessed. The levy
for county taxes in the year 1892
under the reasseSsment Of 1891
was made upon Il valuations Of real
estate in this county assessed at
1922. 1873. and the levy for county
purposes on this amount Of real
estate amounted to $9,552.36 and
for road purposes $2,643.46.
In 1901 another assessment of
the real estate was made which in
creased the value of real estate
in this county from $232,1S8 to
1857 ,455, an increase of over one
third over the previous assess
ment. Now was the county tax
decreased One-third? If the the
DRY Of the Republican orators and
newspapers are correct, then in
1902 under the new assessment
the real estate having been in
creased one-third in value the
county tax would be reduced one
third to raise the same amount of
taxes. But the court records
show that the county levy for
taxes in 1901 before the value Of
real estate in this county was
raised from $232.1SS to 1851, 455,
was IS cents on 800, and in 1902
when the real estate was assessed
over one-third higher the county
tax was laid at 80 cents on 500
just the same. Take the county
levy for 1903, the real estate as
we have noted has increased over
one-third in value and the value
of personal property has increased
from 81, 10000 in 1895 to $3,-
216,1O5 in 1903, an increase of
nearly two-thirds, and what does
the county records show is the re-
suit. Was taxes reduced one.
third, or one-half? Not much: on
the contrary the county tax for
1903 was 30 cents on the 500, an
increase of 20 cents tax on the
500 instead of decrease, and for
the present assessment year with
an increase in the amount of
personal property Of nearly ST.
600 over what it was in 1903 the
levy is d cents on the 800, which
IS III cents on the SlOO more than
it was in 1901 before the land
was reassessed in this county and
the value increased over One-third.
This is not fancy nor theory but
the cold hard facts. TO recapit-
ulate, in 1901 under the old as
sessment the county levy was 80
cents, in 1902 under the new as
sessment when the value of real
estate was increased over one
third in this county the county
levy remained at 30 cents: in 1903
it was increased to 80 cents and
for the present year it is 45 cents
or 10 cents higher than the levy
hnfo,o fIo