The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-10-15
HOW EilE G NEW LAWS WORK.

HOW TiiE N EW8 LAWS WORK:
lax REFoRM ARG l1MENT VgIIcH
EpEMocR AcYc CAM
MEET. - -
That the newstax laws do not in
crease taxation, but on the contrary
distribute the burdens more equally
than ever, is amply Evidenced by
jsarithmetical calculation so simple a
child could graspit- We will take
Ohio county, the largest taxpayer in
1.-The State, as an example, and what APP
l5plies there applies ing every county
Ohio county has certain amount of
taxes to raise this year to meet e1-
tfpenses. twill have to raise no more
Hin 1906 under the new assessment law
than it does this year, no matter how
Thigh valuations are. Let us look at
1.-THE figures and see how assessment
lat the true and actual value in Ohio
county will reduce the taxes of the
home owner and the farmer.
"A is man on Market street, whose
home is worth $4,000, and whose as
sessment will be up to the average of
that class of property in the county
He is assessed at 50 200.
B is another man whose home is
worth 100000 He is. assessed at S.
900.
c is a street railway company which
sold for s1,2Oo,0OO and is assessed at
100000.
D is another street railway com
pany worth, on very moderate esti-
mate. S1,s0o,00o, IS assessed at $780,
OO0
(There is no data at hand by which
the property of the two telegraph
companies can be estimated, but to-
gether they pay about SIS in taxes.)
Here we have total assessed va1-
uation under the present system of
$26O,200. The county levy is so cents
on the 500, and produces the follow
ing amount of revenue; S1,3O1.
OF this the man with the $4,000
house pays $11.
The man with the $4,000 house
pays $40.
The s1,2oo,ooo street railway pays
$780,
The S1,SOO,o00 street railway pays
$3.50.
How does the plan Of assessing at
the price property would bring at a
forced sale, the present system, hit
the man with the $4,000 house? This
is. the way:
the value OF AS, yet pays only 1-2
more taxes.
?. C, railway company No. L, has
property worth 800 times the value of
AS, yet pays only Asp times as
much taxes.
3. D, railway No. 2, has property
worth $50 times the value of AS, yet
pays only 6S times as much taxes.
4. a, with his little home, pays So
more taxes than the two telegraph
companies.
ments. All are assessed at their true
and actual value. A at $4,000, at
$4,000. c at S1,2O0,00O and D at ST.
100000, and the same with the te1e-
graph companies. Omitting the lat
ter, we now have an assessed va1ua-
ton of $3,O24,o0
There is an Immensely increased
valuation OF property to work on, but
the county still needs only to raise the
same amount of revenue, S1,3O1. 1t
can do this by reducing the levy to
1-3 cents, which would produce the
following taxes:
AS $4,000 house ..s 73
BIS $4,000 house .--.. 67
C's $1,200,00O railway $500. $50 90
DIS $1,S00,0O0 railway -. $50 90
By the readjustment are any of the
four parties seriously hurt? Are not
the taxes paid by each in exact pro-
portion to the property each owns?
Is anyone unjustly taxed?
These are four Instances singled out
for example, and show exactly the
basis and principle of the new tax
laws. The theory is sound and can
not be refuted, and it will work out
equally well in Practice.
Home From w. c. T. u Convention.
Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. Morrow, Mrs.
NIrc NToIlIa Pose NIrc Dr;c