The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-22
MAY UPSET 1T ALL
State Tax Commission Showing
Signs of Life.
RumOr That Recent Assessment
May Be Revised.
THEY HAVE POWER.
With Duty of Equal
iZatiOn Board.
'sNOt Ready to Make Announce
ment," Says One.

Has the new state tax commission de-
cided to revise the work of the state
board of railroad assessors. and make
| a reduction, or possibly an increase, in
the valuation of the railroad, telegraph,
telephone, and pipe line property of the
state?
There is no doubt that the tax COM
mission, sitting as state board OF
equalization, has the authority 10
amend the work of the railroad asses
sors. It can, If it desires, wipe out the
whole of the $10,000,O00 increase in the
value of railroad property which the
board of railroad assessors made this
year. Or it can go ahead and raise this
10000 900 to a still higher figure, if it
decides that the railroads are not pay
ing their tax upon as high a basis OF
valuation as other property in the state.
Today the tax commissioners sent to
the state auditor and asked tc be sup
piled with all the property reports and
other documents used by the state
board Of railroad assessors in their re-
cent session. These reports were fur
nished to the commissioners by the
auditor, and the commissioners put in
the morning digging into them.
Up to the present year, the work of
assessing railroads has been done by
the lieutenant governor, secretary of
state, state treasurer, state auditor and
attorney general, while the work of
eQualizing taxation has been entrusted
to the secretary of state, state auditor
and state treasurer. AS the same oftt-
Gals We're on both boards there was
no danger of the board of equalization
overturning the work OF the BOARD OF
railroad assessors.
The new taxation law, however, went
into effect in time to knock out the old
state board of equalization, and the tax
commission was obliged to attend TO the
work of equalizing.- This gives the tax
commission an opportunity to revise
and amend the work of the state board
of railroad assessors; and II is posi-
BILE that the new tax commission may
do just those things.
Certain it is that the tax commits
sioners are investigating the prop
erty reports of all the railroads, tele-
phone companies, telegraph com
panies, pipe line companies. and pri-
vate car line companies. If they find
that the railroads are reporting on a
greater proportion Of valuation than
are the farms, and town lots and pigs
and cattle of the state, they may or
der that the valuation OF the rallroaos
and other property of similar nature,
be- reduced to correspond with the
rest of the property in the state.
For example, If the state tax COM
mission comes to the conclusion that
the state board of railroad assessors.
in it's desire to do a good job, and
make the railroads pay their due por-
ton of the state tax, has assessed rail-
road property on 80 IS per cent
basis, while the average rate OF as
sessment for other property in the
state is only % per cent. the state
hoard of tax commissioners might re-
duce the assessment of the railroads
s1h per cent, to bring it down to. the
level of the rest of the state.
When one of the members of the
tax commission was asked today
whether or not the commission was
likely to make any reduction In the
valuation of railroads, as reported by
the state board of railroad assessors,
he said:
"The commission is not ready to
make any announcement concerning
it's policy in this matter. We are
looking into the question, and we nave
authority to make changes If 1t is
deemed best to do so.'
The members of the state board of
railroad assessors, who increased the
taxable property of railroad companies
nearly $1O.0OO,0O0 this year, do not
seem to think that the tax commission
is planning to make any radical re-
vision of its works.
'"The tax commissioners properly
wanted these railroad reports simply
to familiarize themselves with the
manner of making Them said one of
the board of railroad assessors. 1.-THE
commission wants to find out all about
its work. and naturally it wanted to
inspect the basis for the railroad
valuation I do not think there will
be any very sweeping changes in the
work of the railroad assessors
1t is announced by the tax commits
sioners that II will probably be week
before it is ready to make a report on
the result of its deliberations on
equalization. both on railroads and
other property The board has been
working hard at this matter for a
week or more. and has compiled many
figures and tables on the subject. for
the purpose of finding out which
counties ere assessed on the highest
percentage of valuation.
Flood Danger Has Passed.