The Penn's Grove record., 1905-11-17
New Plan For Equal Tax.

State, a problem that has been the bone
of contention for years, and was made
the principal issue OF the campaign for
Governor last year, is contained IN the
report to Governor Stokes of the State
Board of Equalization OF Taxes.
Whether that report will be accepted
as the final settlement of the matter,
however. remains for the next Legls-
lature. to which it viii be referred by
Governor Stokes. The report was
made under the resolution of the last
Legislature, which had been goaded
| into making some move for the solution
Of the problems involved. One result
! of this situation was the adjustment
of the old State Board Of Taxation and
the substitution of the present Board
| of Equalization, which now presents
its findings, after presumably careful
and unbiased consideration of all the
questions involved.
TO TAKE STATE AVERAGE.
The majority report, which was sigh
ed by all of the Board with the eXcep-
ton of Charles G. Black, recommends
a reassessment of ''main stemo railroad
property at its true value by the State
Board of Assessors and the taxation of
this property for State purposes at an
average rate to be determined by tax
ing the sum of all the tax rates through
out the State and dividing the same by
kthe number of taxing districts. This
Gnain stem property, which is now
assessed at S165, 0O0, goo, pays tax to the
Safe at the rate of so cents on each
$100, netting the State $825,000. An
avetage Of the tax rate throughout the
r Ste,a under the plans proposed would
result in Haore than doubling, if not
tripling, the tax nov paid by the rail-
roads on the main stem property
OF course, this will DE meulleo WIN
the operation of the Hillery maximum
tax rate law, which goes into ehecC OH
January / nelt, and which lllhl's VIC
tax rate in cities for county anu local
purposes to SIT on each $1po ana III
other municipalities TO $l.50 On e"0ii
500. The a rate now is uilllhli'eo
and in most cities it is over - anu III
Jersey City is $s.73.
The reassessment of railroad proper
ty is recommended because of d oohUeh-
ton on the part Of railroads th"C lall-
road property is assessed in " AlsnoA
proportion Of its true value tFaH o'lel
property. The State Board G. EqualF
cation is ~endeavoring to bring aoouI Cne
osooecn,ant of oil nronertv 81 its true
value.
MIR Rr.AcK,s s~17GGEsTI2Ns.
Charles G. Black, who was tle Aelno-
cratic candidate for Governor last fall,
nrooented q minority renort along the
lines of the platform upon VII IN lie was
a Gu~bernatorial candidate. biach
+, holds that such a method w "
manifestly unjust, and would
complish equal taxation. Op;
: trary, he urges that the
: property S. ould be taxed by
4 local rate in each taxing dis =
the proceeds applied to the
district in which the real est;
"a. +ho+ tho evod +onoihlo ty of
, railroads be similarly taxed b an
: g., 1ooo1 ,o+o ond J. evot-
l +o dia+r;a+. +hot az able
lt-lglUr pvIsordtlCy % ,aAoo.
average rate of the State and
ceeds applied to the use of til
that the franchises be taxed at
be determined by the State,
the method of assessment and
cry for collecting and dists
tax be preserved as now
law.
MI. Black fav6rs the taxation of the
railroad companies personal property,
which is now assessed at about $685.
900, 600, at the average of local rates.
The majority report is silent on this
question and suggests no change in the
present law which taxes that property
the same as main-stem property is now
taxed, that is so cents on each 500.
Z. A. Armstrong, who signed the
majority report, made a supplemental
recommendation in favor of abolishing
local assessors and creating county
boards to take their places.