The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-08-03
DOUBLE TAX COMMISSION
Continuation OF Report Submitted I,
Gov. Proctor.

Administrative Evils Of Present Sys-
tenn.
One serious evil in the administers
tion of our present system OF taxation
is In the listing and appraisal OF pro-
perty.
The statute requires the listers to
set all real estate and personal prop
erty, not by law exempt from taxation
In the list at It's true value In money,
and the following oath is required of
the listers:
'T........... do solemnly swear
that ! will appraise all the personal
and real property subject to taxation
in the town of............so far as
required by law at its true value In
money. -
But our Investigation disclosed the
fact that in very few, If any, towns in
this state is the real estate or per-
soIal property set in the list at its
true value in money In some towns
the real estate is appraised at less
than half its value. This works a
great injustice between different
towns both as to county and state tax.
es. II taxes one town or county very
much more In proportion to the value
OF its property than another
! The evil, however, is not confined
TO differences between towns or be-
tween counties; individuals in the
same town are not assessed on the
I same basis.
/ Where listers are allowed to depart
from the requirements OF their oath
and their duty IN the appraisal of
property for taxation, the result is
favoritism or inequality. In one in
stance land there are many similar
cases) we found that a conservative
savings bank had just made loan of
$4,000 upon the security of mort
gage on certain real estate which was
set In the list at $4,000 This was in
a town where the average appraisal
of real estate was seventy-five per
cent of its just value so that assum.
ing the savings bank loan was made
on the usual basis OF two-thirds val.
uation other real estate In the town
was appraised at a rate at least twice
that of this particular parcel. and the
owner therefore escaped his just bur.
den of taxes by paying in effect one
half the rate paid on other like proper
ty.
There can be no true system of ass
essment or appraisal that is not based
on cash value. II is the natural basis
for valuing anything and is more cas-
lily and accurately arrived at than
any other. But whatever the basis OF
valuation, ii must be fiYed absolutely
III listers are allowed TO depart from
fixed standard, each then becomes
a law unto himself and no two. ex
cept by accident, reach the same re
suit. The true rule cannot be any
better stated than In the statute: lbs
true value in money" The average Of
the assessed valuation of real estate
in this state probably falls below sey
lenty per cent OF It's actual cash value
The census bureau issued in 1907 &
report under the title of Wealth
Debt and Taxation in which Is giver
Ia comparative statement OF the rea
and assessed value of property in the
different states. For Vermont the re
port shows that the assessed value o.
the real estate is but fraction NOR,
than seventy per cent OF its true value
and it gives very wide differences II
the various counties. In the smaller
of two farming counties the assessed
value of less than fifty per cent of th'
true value: In the larger il is abou
eighty per cent.
We find from statistics gathered by
our agents that the assessed value o
ireal estate in this state falls Fraction
below seventy per cent, of its actua
cash value. and this result was al
rived at before we had seen the cen
sus report These two estimates
reached from entirely different stand
points. under entirely different circln
stances, corresponding so closely
strongly support each other The,
vary somewhat as TO counties but IN,
difference in the general average Il
less than one per cent.
The amounts received from stat
school and highway taxes. respective
ly eight and Ave cents on each dolla
of the grand list, are by snch unde
valuation greatly reduced. In on
town the amount of state school AM
state highway taxes that the state q
large lost by the under valuation o
llNli NnNbAf III l'Vts was TOlOi. Ill
town adjoining the one last mentione,
not nearly as large with an Appraisal
of Its real estate at siXty-six per cen
of its actual value, the state in Tx
manner lost OF those taxes $500.
BY this under valuation the loss OF
the state school and highway take
amounts to more than $4,000 annu
ally.
We are now only speaking of tn
under appraisal of real estate. Tn
same evil exists in regard 10 the al
praisal of personal property.
The evils mentioned are not all tina
the inventory statistics disclosed i
one town at least, no inventories coul,
be found in the Office of the tow
clerk and none We're in existence S
far as we were able to ascertain
Our statute provides that every pei
son, except non-residents taxable onl
for real estate, shall procure blan
inventory on the first day of April
make full answers to all interrogf
tories, take and subscribe the oati
contained therein and file the sam
with the listers.
; Our agents in examining the inven
tories in the entire state found 1l3
600 on file and of these only 1852 wer
legal inventories.
The grand list books also contain
ed the names of several thousand res
ident taxpayers for whom there wer
no inventories whatever on file. S
that probably less than three per cen
of the resident taxpayers of this stat
filed legal inventories in 1907.
The statute also provides that IL
lister accepts an inventory of pei
son not made out and sworn to a
; provided by law, or neglects or r,
fises to appraise and set in the lis
!, as required by law, each item descril
ed therein, such lister for each sue