Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-08-16
Governor Stokes Writes to Every
County Board on the Matter
of Taxation.
WANTS square DEAL .
Maps Out Plenty of Work for the
Members and Urges Them
to Get Busy.
special 70 the EVENING NEWs !:

ercise of your duties you are to see
that uniformity and equality prevail
in taxation, that all kinds of property
are treated exactly alike and that ev-
cry one has perfectly square deal" :"
says Governor Stokes in a special let
ter issued today to the new county
tax board of Middlesex county, and
to the boards of the other counties of
the state. The letter emphasizes in
detail what the governor believes to
be the duties of the members of the
members of the boards, and if the
members carry out all the sugges-
tions of the governor they will have
to do some hustling. The letter fol-
lows:
To the Chairman, County Board of
Taxation.
Mr.. Dear Mr.. Chairman act
of the last legislature created your
j hoard and imposes the performance
Eof certain supervisory duties, with a
lview to remedying the irregularity
and lack of uniformity in valuations
and assessments. While the making
of assessments continues to be as
heretofore, the duty of the assessors
and local boards of taxation of each
taxing district, the legislature placed
upon you the duty of seeing that the
tax laws are honestly and fairly exc
cuted as between different individuals
and as between different taxing dis
tricts, that equal taxation may be
/ REALIZED.
You are to deal with what next to
life and limb, is a most sacred right,
namely, that of property. The power
of taxation is practically the power
of confiscation. Through exorbitant
tax rates or through bonded indebted
ness, private property can be taken
without compensation for public use.
Every bond issued by a municipality
mortgages the property of individu-
ais and pledges that property as Sc
curity for the payment of the obliga-
| tion. Where municipal Indebtedness,
for example, amounts to ten per cent.
every piece of property in that muni-
Icipality is pledged to pay one-tenth of
its value This must, of course, be
paid through the imposition of taxes.
Unless, therefore, the taxing power is
exercised fairly and judicially, pri-
vate property may be confiscated.
Whatever affects the taxing of prop
erty in any way, either in the law or
In the execution of the law, is of vi
tai Importance to the owner thereof.
In this connection it should be made
clear that the creation of your board
made no change in the tax laws
They were not modified by the last
legislature with but two exceptions,
namely, the law affecting the taxa
ton of railroad property and the act
governing the tax rates. The leglsla-
ture provided that all second class
property of railroads should be as
sessed local. and taxed as heretofore
at the local rates, proceeds of the
taxes to go to the local treasures.
Another act re-clasSified railroad
property so that all passenger sta
tions, terminals, switches and all rail
road property outside of the so called
"main stem," are now included in sec
ond class property, materially IN
creasing the amount of such property
that will be assessed by the local au-
thorities at the local rates. The main
stem of the railroad, which now con-
sists of the bare right of way, which
Is limited to no one municipality or
county, but which traverses the state
and is supported by the patronage of
all sections of the state, is taxed for
the benefit of the school system,
} which all citizens will enjoy in com
mon. 1t is estimated that a large
increase in revenue will be derived
from this source. This should be
used for the payment of local taxes
to corresponding reduction of the
taxes now paid by individuals, and
in order that this increased revenue
may inure to the benefit of the tax
payer rather than prove temptation
to extravagant expenditure, the legis-
lature provided that tax rates should
be reduced from year to year in vari-
GUS localities until they reach a GER
tain maximum figure. With this ex-
ception. no changes fere made in the
laws affecting taxation, either as re-
CARDS the disclosure or listing of
property OF tne FdludIioh thSl Sol'
, The laws on this subject today are
precisely the same laws under which
property has been taxed in previous
years.
In the exercise of your duties you
are to see that uniformity and equal
|, ity prevail In taxation, that all kinds
of property are treated exactly alike
and that every one has perfectly
square deal" 1t is not within your
province to raise or lower taxes. The
! amount of tax depends upon The
, amount of municipal expenditures I
is the contribution which propert,
makes to the common burden Of ex