The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-07-24
TAXES ARE LOWERED.

A decrease of seven dollars and
eleven cents in the taxes on every
thousand dollars of assessments in
this city from that of last year Is
a revelation although it was gen
orally believed and argued that the
new tax laws would result in won
derful saving to the people. And
vet in face of the figures, some say !:
erWait until next year. Before the
assessments were made and the lev
les laid, they said: Wait until the
assessor comes around and the lev
les are laid and you will see thai
YOU will have more taxes to pay.
Well, the people have waited and
now see exactly what the new tai
laws have done and are certainly sat
isfied that the Republicans were
right, when they claimed taxes
would be lower. Last year the mar
who owned property to the amount
Z of 81 900 in Clarksburg, if he gave
st in at its proper value, paid twenty
seven dollars in tax all told. This
wear he will pay only little over
nineteen dollars on that thousand
But they put up the plea that the
personal property assessment was
doubled this year and that under the
new laws the personal property own
er has far more taxes to pay than
last wear. The fact is the personal
propertv assessment was not doub
led this year and is less than a-hali
more than it was last year, and the
aggregate amount of taxes to pay
on personal property this year will
not differ materially from that OF
last vear-not fifty dollars all told
either way. =,
Tt should be impressed on the
minds of the DIRECTORS that tax NJ
the rate of $1.9S on the hundred l.
made additional this year on but q
little over a half million dollars OF
propertv, while it is lowered at the
rate of over seven dollars thousand
on the assessment of last year OF
nearly three million dollars.
Again, they say: <'But there Is
inst as much tax to be raised" Well
let MS see about that. The total
rate last wear was $2.7O on the humid
red dollars and the total assessment
was So. 942. 693, making the tato'
tax over $40, 900. This year the to-
tai levy is $1.9S So on the hundred
dollars valuation and the total as
sessment is $3,4S9,S42, making the
total tax to be collected little over
$4,000. Take this amount from
$40 900, the amount paid last year
and we have a total decrease amount
mo to $4,000. Now, it certainly
can not be true that there is as mucl
tax to pay as there was last year, and
thus are the obiectoFs downed or
their argument again.
Next the objcctors assert that tho
new real estate assessment next yenl
will incrase taxes. What the in
crease may be is not known, but ma,
reasonably be based on the rate OF
increase Of personal property thu
wear, or, in other words, will be in
creased one half. but say it is doub-
led. There will even then be re
duction in taxes. Take the state tn
as an example. This year it is &c
cents on the hundred dollars and
amounts in Clarksburg to about
So 900. With real estate doubled al
the 10 cent rate it will not reach
that amount, and, should the board
of public works make the same four
cent additional reduction in the rat
II will fall way under $1,000. But.
thew say, the city will raise the rate.
The law will not let the city do so.
Instead it win have to make the
rate far lower than it is now. For
the wear 1904 the whole amount OF
CITY tax was $29,429 and the new