The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-12-03
Tax Matters

report to the Governor. The increase i
values in this county is 81, 383, 1854
The least increase appears in Cape Ma,
county, where it only slightly exceeds on
per cent. Last year. however, the assess
ment in that county was increased n pc
cent.
The total increase in the valuation O
taxable property in the state for this yea
for over 1906 is $271. 317, 345, the total rata
bles for this year being 1854, 527, 41S, al
against 81, $40. 21O, O7s for last year, an in
crease of II per cent. The largest in
crease occurs in Hudson county, where the
valuation exceeds that of last year by
about Sc per cent, or $168, 460, 306.
The report shows that during the pre-
sent year it will be necessary to raise by
taxation about $50, 900. 900 for the expen
ses of maintaining the state and local gov
ernments The amount is made up from
the following items: State school tax So,
23S, 676. Al: county tax, So, sol, 614. So; local
tax, $40, 1884, $1,000
Generally speaking, there seems to have
been an attempt throughout the state to
secure the assessment of property at its
true value. While some of this is due to
the continuous efforts this board has been
making in the communications with the
assessors, and also to the efforts of the
county boards, 1t is more directly and
practically due to the maximum tax rate
act. Many taxing districts that were as
sessed on twenty, thirty or fifty per cent
basis have come up practically to true
value. 1t is rather amusing to see and
hear 1t seriously discussed that this assess
ment at true value is new law or some
new enactment by the legislature. 1t
seems almost impossible to convince the
public that it is simply an enforcement of
long existing law.
"The troublesome question of the as
of personal property seems no
nearer solution than it has for long time.
It is fair to say that in the main personal
is not taxed in New Jersey. This
refers especially to the intangible property.
1t is probably true, as it is claimed, that
such intangible property pays taxes some
where, in so far as it is founded on tangi-
BILE property, and that, therefore, the
seeming inequality between the taxes paid
by intangible personal property and the
burden imposed upon tangible personally
and real estate in this state is more appar-
ent than real"
The above report shows that there has
been great increase in the valuations in
Mercer county and that there is a conse-
quent feeling of citation, but another
report says that there have been 900
appeals filed with the Mercer County
Board of Taxation.
Thus far the Burlington County Board
has not had many appeals althoughit may
be that many will come. as the date for the
final appeal is December 20. Up to date
there have been 80 complaints, more than
half of which have been settled and the
remainder are not hard to consider.
There are eight townships to be heard
from. They are Eastampton, Lumberton,
Northampton, Southampton, and West
ampton, which will be considered to-
morrow at the Court House. On Friday
the Board will go to Green Bank to lis
ten to appeals from Bass River, Washing
ton and Woodland.
Every year there is complaint about
taxes and the rates that people are COM
PEELED to pay. Each locality thinks it is
being unjustly treated, and that its neigh
Dor is getting favors. This year cor
of Philadelphia paper has
made special study of the subject in
Burlington county and has either preceded
or followed generally the former-the
visits of the County Board. Weird tales
Of the great indignation felt by the tax
payers have filed the columns of the
paper and there have been forecasts of
what would happen when the Board made
Its visit to the place in question. But the
result in every case has been to show
case of writing on space price.
While the stories have been highly SEN
sational they have not always had the i'm
print of truth. In one instance it was re-
lated how, last year, taxpayer, feeling
aggrieved, was compelled to go before the
State Board and ask for reduction which
was granted in the sum of $4,000, while
as fact the reduction was the act of the
County Board. In all of these articles
one might have supposed the uprising all
over the county was to be tremendous, but
the small number of appeals has shown to
the contrary.
Another paper complains that its town.
ship is assessed beyond reason, yet it fails
to recall the fact that for years the county
did not get its share of taxes in proportion
to those paid by other townships because
former assessments had been made to bene-
fit the township in question.
In an interview on the subject assessor
Armstrong said that there would be few
appeals in Burlington city because the
people were educated to the higher
valuations There were four appeals in
the city, three of which were acknowledge
ed errors on the part of the assessor and
two more cases were presented but papers
are to be filed later, making six cases in
all for Burlington city.
City Treasurer j. A. Taylor is one of
the supporters of the tax law of Burling
ton. He says: ''The present system of
taxation is the best we ever had, but there
are many chances for improvement. One
good feature is the fact that other places
are compelled to bear their share of the
State and county tax. The assessments
here have always been high, as the proper
ty owners of Burlington believe in doing
their share of everything. The law is be-
ing fought the hardest in sections where
they formerly attempted to evade portion
of the taxes except for town purposes.
There will undoubtedly be legislation
on the tax question for years to come, but
1t will be long time before the general
public will become united on the subject
1t matters not how property is assessed
there is always someone to take issue with
the method and to complain either thai
one case is either too high or the other toe
low. 'fManY men of many minds" will
always be the case in taxation and it seems
as if the solution lies in the remarks of as
SCISSOR Armstrong, to get the people ed
ucated to the idea of assessments at tru,
value.
Another instance of the inaccuracy o