The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1907-10-17
Where Reform is Needed.

q spare moment from chasing trusts
and running for office and otherwise
saving the State, we wish they would
turn their attention to our system
of taxation and valuation and see ii
they cannot improve it somewhat.
We are interested in it. We would
like to see the tax rate of the State
cut down and the property OF the
State valued at its true worth, and
we would like to see a uniform meth
cd of arriving at values. Auditor
Dixon, in a dispatch published else
where, is made to appear as surprised
at finding recently that the assessors
in certain county valued the prop
perty at only one-third its worth, al
though they are sworn to value prop
erty at what it would bring at
natural sale We cannot believe
that the Auditor is ignorant OF a
fact SO well known as the fact that
the assessors in this State rarely
ever obey their oath, but deliberately
60 contrary to it and assess property
at from one-third to one-half its val
ue, and perhaps occasionally, two
thirds. However, it may be that the
assessors are merely the tools of a
system that has obtained all over
the State in spite OF the law. That
needs a bit of the reform we hear so
much about these latter days, and it
should be made into a system that
will rigidly value property at what it
is worth. Then the tax rate could
be lowered proportionately and our
towns, counties and the State as q
whole could make q much better
showing, while the citizens OF the
State would not be tempted to be
dishonest with their governmenta and
tax assessors could obey the oath
the law requires them to take.-Lex-
ington Dispatch.
The violation OF law in this matter
is bad enough, is inexcusable, but it
is not the worst feature. If all prop
erty was assessed on all equality it
wouldn't be SO bad, but it isn't. A
piece Of property that will readily
bring 500, 900 on the market is never
assessed at over so per cent. of its
value; as Il rule the figures are more
nearly 33h per cent. But a piece of
property that will bring 81 900 to
81, 200 is usually assessed at two
thirds its value, or more. In other
words, the more valuable the prop
erty the lower the assessment in pro-
portion to value; the cheaper the
property the higher the assessment
in proportion to value. Thus it Is
that the small property owner,
the man of small means, pays much
more in proportion to what he has
than his wealthy neighbor. 1t is not
unusual to hear a large property
owner boast of the amount of tax
he pays. Taking his remarks at face
value, one would think he paid all,
aud the small property owner is held
up to ridicule when the duty he pays
the government is compared with
that paid by the large property
owner. But man is supposed to
pay taxes on what he has and when
that point is investigated-and the
tax books in almost any county will
show the proof of these assertions
it will be seen that the man Of modest
means is paying more in proportion
to what he has than the man oflarge
means. If the men of small means,
who are largely in the majority,
could ever Iealize this rank injustice
and it seems they do not-they
could force Il change in this inquitous
system which every candid man who
examines into it must admit is wrong.
The Landmark ,despises class dis
tinctions and we do not charge that
there is a conspiracy for wealth to
escape taxes and place it on the poor.
1t is the result of an Ubiquitous prac-
tice that has become so fixed that it
seems impossible to change it. The
large property owner is usually a
man of influence and it is not unusal
for him, when his property is assessed
at even so per cent, to yell as if it
was being confiscated. He will call
attention to the large amount of
taxes he pays and the assessors too
often look at the aggregate without
looking into the merits of the case,
and yield. Ii the man of modest
means complains it is pointed out
that the assessment is not large and
he is made to feel ashamed of himself
for complaining. And so it goes
Statesville Landmark.