Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-10-25

has. Eleven years ago when there
was a general assessment it amounted
to S4,507,547. If Caroline County will
have a general assessment and assess
everything at its actual worth, like
Delaware does, the assessment will be
double what it was eleven years ago.
Then instead of being S1.21 on the
hundred dollars the tax rate will be
only go 1-2 cents on the hundred dol
lars. Then it will be a good bit lower
than the Delaware tax rate, because
the tax rate in Delaware of So cents
on the hundred dollars does not in
clude school tax or poll tax, which
would make the rate more than 60 ID
cents in Delaware. A good many
people do not look at the assessment
in the right way. They think if you
assess property high it makes taxes
high. but that is not the case. If all
the property in Caroline County is
worth twice as much as it was asses
sed at eleven years ago, and If you
assess it at twice as much as that
assessment, it would make the as
sessment s9,O15,O 94. That would bring
the tax rate down to 60 1-2 cents on
the hundred dollars. Or suppose you
assess the property four times as
much as it was assessed at eleven
years ago. That would make the as
sessment s1S,OSO,1SS, which would
bring the tax rate to 80 IA cents, and
YOU would have to pay only the same
amount of taxes that you are paying.
NV advice is to assess the property
at IT'S full value, but to try to value
On an equality. Then you can get the
:a-e down to about 60 cents on the
hundred dollars, and not have the
name of having high tax rate
r. For the last five or six years my
taxes in Delaware have been fully
twice as high as they have been in
MARYLAND, according to the amount OF
property / have in both States, be-
cause my property in Delaware is as
sessed at the right value, at what it
is worth. That is the way all prop
erty ought to be assessed. When my
property was assessed in Maryland 1t
was at a time when most everything
was very low in price, especially real
estate and horses, and after the as
sessment II years ago I increased my
stock of goods until last year, when
1 commenced to sell out, then had
on hand five times as many goods as
] was assessed at in 1896, and my as
sessment never was changed, never
went up any. could tell you great
many similar cases, but 1 have told
YOU enough to explain what l mean.
Now a few more words about the
high rate of tax in Caroline County
for fear that all might not quite I'M
derstand all about it. Don't think
that because the tax rate, s1.21 on the
s10O, means that the taxes are any
higher than they are in Delaware
They are not any higher, because the
nroperty in Delaware is taxed at what
it is worth and the property In Caro- /
line County is taxed at the rate at
which it was assessed IL years ago, /
which I said before was the lowest / |
ever knew it since 1860. If all the
in Caroline County was as
sessed to-day, then add all the in
crease of wealth, it would make the |
worth as mach as SS,e0O,OOO, /
instead of a little over S4,500,G00- Then |
it would bring the tax rate down to /
90 ID cents on the one hundred dol !
lars because the assessment rate
would go up 10 the value where it |
ought to be. / aave written this up |
IN a haphazzard kind of q way, but if
rou will read 1t over several times
md get the fun meaning you will see
nat the taxes are not any higher in
County than in Delaware
when you count the school tax, poll
ak, etc, if any difference it will be
over in Caroline
Besides, there is one thing on the
side 1t is the best place for
,oung men and quite a number Of
ilder ones that don't have much prop
rty around them. Persons of that
ind don't have to Ray any tax; they
re not assessed. want every tszS
aver in Delaware who gets a copy
f The DeIawarean that has this let
or in, if they have ever thought that
ne taxes in Maryland were any high
r than in Delaware, please to keep
le paper and when you hear anybody /
~ that the taxes in Caroline County J
Ne higher you get the paper and read '
to him and tell him all about it. !
CIV a few words to my old school
lend, Mr.. John F. want you to keep 2
be Delawarean that has this letter !