The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-12-26
TAX COMMISSION
The State Board Submits Its First
Annual Report
VALUABLE STATISTICS
Official Figures That Give An Idea
of Material Matters in State
of Minnesota

A>c'Oo' - A>"A RAoPSASy' aaS 40
cludes the value O. railroads, street
railways, telegraph and telephone
systems, privately owned wafer works
and electric light and power stations,
amounting in all to 1892, ,796, 1906. DE.
Quoting this from the personality there
is left $76S, 1873 1892, which can be COM
pared with the personality now on the
tax rolls. The assessment of real pro-
perty in 1906 gave total of $753 ,585,
056. including s67 ,225, ,645 of assessed
valuation of mining properties.
The personal property assessment
amounted to $163, ,432 1857, which to-
gether with the real property assess
ment made the valuation for 1906
$917 ,O17, Alb. The valuation for 1907
1.-THE additions were confined to the val
uation of mining and personal proper
ty) reached the sum of confined to the
valuation OF mining and about $780,
100000 for persona property, making
the total as sessment for the next tax
levy approximately 81, ,13S ,O67 1884.
The following table gives the first
analysis ever given Of the sources of
the states revenue:
! Taxation-General property tax, $2,-
5,9i4.57; Gross earnings railroad
companies, $685. 1868; Insurance
company taxes, 80, ,7241s: Inheritance
tax, 142,35S.96: Telegraph and tele-
phone companies, 95,679.51; Express
and transportation, 1888 80; Steam
boat taxes, 16,175.43; Total, $685.
O54.45.
Other Sources-Fines, fees and
licenses collected by state part
ments, $537 ,2O7.86; Earnings and
institutions, 1,4S6, ,O64 ID; Loans and
interest; interest on deposits, 81, 1885,
AZ; School loans, 1853, 1889; Bonds and
interest, 52,7O5.OO; Interest on land
sales, 2,759.21; Total, s1,O57;415. .22,
Lands and Royalties-Sales of land,
$2l0, ,75O.96; Stumpage sales, 595, $780,
70; Mineral leases, 81 1886. 90; Royalties,
1853 1881 Total, $1,OO2, ,395.77; Mis-
cellaneous, 475,2O4.S3: Grand total,
$11 ,25O,342.
The report shows that in 1906 the
railroads paid 11.93 per cent of the
taxes, while their property was 1896
per cent Of the total value; the iron
properties paid 4.19 per cent of the
taxes on sos per cent of the valuation;
special interests, such as telephone
and telegraph companies, paid 2.43
per cent Of the taxes, and real and
personal property paid e1.45 per cent,
their combined value being 5000 per
cent of the total.
The report has this to say of the
state board of equalization.
''1he board consists of earnest and
able men, who generally have had
considerable association in matters of
,, business and affairs, but the failure
of asses sors to list personal property
in accordance with law and properly
to value both real and personal pro-
perty presents a problem which is
practically impossible of solution by
any method of equalization devils
able. The failure OF assessors to list
personal property under the proper
items in the schedule makes it inn
possible to equalize in any thing like
satisfactory way the differences and
variances in assessment of the various
counties and assessment districts.
"Under the present conditions the
state board of equalization meets for
about one month in the year, not
only for the purpose of securing great
er equality and justice between the
different counties and assessment dis
tricts, but also for the purpose of
determining the assessment of the
state. Upon this assessment depends
the state rate of taxaticn. The law
requires the state auditor to return