The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1906-03-23
BLANCHARDS PLAN OF EQUALIZATION.

pose to make a beginning if the
assessments of the present year
warrant it. Last year, although
not a single parish in the State
was assessed at over so per cent.
of the property actually within
its borders, and many of them at
as low as 80 1-3 per cent, the In
crease In assessments over the
year before Gan increase entirely
due to equalizing assessments
was in excess of $45,000,00O
Applying the same method OF
equalization to this years assess
ments. and taking into consider
alton the natural increase in the
values of taxable property and
new property and that which has
heretofore escaped taxation, we
should have an increase this year
something like that of last year.
"If that should prove to be the
case, it is my intention to RECON-
mend to the General Assembly
that the increase for the two years
be employed as a working basis
for lnaugurating a systematic re-
duction of the rate of taxation.
This will apply to State, district,
parish, municipal and to some OF
the special taxes.
eff the increase In the State
aggregate assessment for 1906 be
as large as was that of 1905, the
State tax should be reduced BY
the Legislature from six mills to
four and a half. and parochial,
district and municipal taxes from
q maximum of ten mills each,
as now, to a minimum of seven
mills each. And these reductions
in the rate of State, district, paro.
chial and municipal taxation
should be made to apply to the
present and subsequent years.
"Let 1T be distinctly understood
that l will not stand for the in.
crease in assessments in 1905 and
1906 over previous years being
used as basis for the appropri.
ating of more money to be ex.
pended.
"Nol / wish it to be used solely
as q basis for the reduction OF
taxation and will urge this upon
the General Assembly.
"The Legislature will start with
an increase of $45, 200, 900 in the
assessments of 1905 over 1904.
When it is called upon to act, In
June or July of the present year,
in the way of the passage of a
revenue bill, we may not, it is
true, know whether or not the In
crease in assessments for 1906 will
be approximately as great as was
the increase for 1905. But that
should not hinder action looking
to reduction of the rates of tax
alton. 1t is easy to write into the
revenue bill that If the assess
mehts for 1906 show an increase
equal to that shown for 1905,
then the rate of State taxation
for 1906 shall be 4 LIZ mills, and
the rate for district, parochial
and municipal taxation shall not
exceed seven mills each.
This would be running no risk
whatever for if the increase for
1905 did not approximately equal
that for 1905, then the old rates
of taxation would stand.
"But there would be no doubt
of the increase if the reduction in
the rates of taxation were written
in the laws as suggested.
1.-THE increase in assessments
would enable the State, the par
ishes, the towns and cities and
district levee boards to get along
just as we'll on the reduced rates
Of taxation as they did when the
assessments we're lower and the
rates higher. They would have
just as much money as they had
when the assessments were lower
and the tax rates higher.
$50 there could not be raised
against this scheme any cry that
nx;StinU dohts - oLt...