Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1907-10-16
The INEQUALITY OF TAXATION.
The Poor Mao Is Made the Burden Bearer
and Laughed Out Of Countenance.

The Poor Mao Is Made the Burden Bearer
and Laughed Out Of Co~untenance.
Some time when the statesmen
have a spare moment from chas-
ing trusts and running for office
and otherwise savil 6 the State, we
wish they would turn their atten-
ton to our system Of taxation
and valuation and see if they
cannot improve it somewhat.
We are interested in it. We would
like to see the tax rate of the State
cnt down and the property OF the
State valued at it's true worth,
and we would be glad to Q a uni
form method of arriving at values.
AuditorDixon is made to appear as
surprised at finding recently that
the assessors in q certain county
valued the property at only one
third it's worth, although they are
sworn to 2alue property at what
it would bring at a natural sale.
We cannot believe that the Audi
tor is ignorant of a fact so we'll
known as the fact that the asses
sors 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
3 value, and perhaps, occasionally,
at two-thirds. However, it may
/ that the assessors r merely the
tools of a system that has OBJ
tanned all over the State in spite
of the law. That system needs a
u bit of reform we hear 80 much
about these latter days, and 1t
should be made into a system that
will rigidly value pr, perty at
s what 1t is worth. Then the tax
J, rate could be lowered proportion
K ately and our towns, counties
t and the State as a whole could
make a much better showing,
while the citizens of the State
y would not be tempted to be dis
honest with their government and
tax assessors could obey the oath
the law requires them to take
Lexington Dispatch.
The violation of a law in this
matter is bad enough, is inexcus-
+ able. but it is not the worst fea-
ture. If all property was assessed
4 on an equality it wouldn't be SO
| bad, but is isn't. A piece of prop
erty that will readily bring
$780, 900 on the market is never
g assessed at over so per cent. of it's
4 value as a rule the fguers are
nearly 335 per cent. But a piece
8 of property that will bring $1,000
. to 81, 200 is usually assessed at
t two-thirds it's value, or more. In
| other words, the more valuable
7 property the lower the assessment
Q in proportion to value the cheap
er the property the higher the as
sessment in proportion to value.
J Thus it is the small property
owner, the man of small means,
| pays much more in proportion to
} what he has than his wealthy
neighbor. It is not unusual to
} hear the large property-owner
boast of the amount of tax he
pays. Taking his remarks at face
value, one would think he paid it
all, and 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 a man
is supposed to pay taxes on what
he has and when that point is in
yestigated-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 payingmore in proportion
to what he has than the man of
large means. If the men of small
means, who r largely in the ma
jority, could ever realize this
rank injustice-and it seems they
do not-bhey could force a change
in this Ubiquitous system which
every candid man who examines
into it must admit is wrong. The
Landmark despises class distinc-
lions 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 ini-
quitous practice that has become