Putnam patriot., 1908-11-13


 towns throughout the State varies from mills 10 5 mills, the average being about is mills. and IL seems to he true that the higher the tax raIe the lower value ai the grand list
 Section sSsa ef the General Statutes provides that real estate shall he set In the list at their present true and setu- al valuation. Section a8ss provides that personal property shall he set In the list at their athen actual xalua, tion.n
 Section as22s provides 'sthat the pres ent true and just value of any estate shall be deemed by all assessors and boards of relief to be the fair market value thereof, and not it's value at forced or auction sale" By the use of the word flair" the statute evidently intended valuation that was just to the town and state as we'll as to the property owner himself.
 As given above, therefore, the stat. utes of the state require the assessors to value property on the basis of fair market value.
 The SapfemeGenrt iaWhite ys Town of Portland, oS Conn: "Dn the whole il is serious question whether the towns should not be required te con form strictly to the statute, ,aad wheth- er the courts can take eognisaaee ef and enforce any other rule of valuation than the statutory rule" Aside from statutory requirements there are many reasons for such valuation of property by the assessors. It establishes def nite basis, k likely to remove inequau- ties, Is fairer to the small property hol-
 town itself. Where low basis of val
 uation is followed, high tax rax rate
 is almost invariably present. This Is
 held as being objectionable by new
 corners, for while they may be assurrd
 that the property is valued on a low
 basis, and although they may feel sure
 that such basis is followed with tht
 old residents, they are never quite con vinced that their property would bs put in on the same absolute basis. 4
 low grand list based on fair valuation ought always to carry with il mode , rate and even low rate of taxation. 1T : such an event the property lowner tha
 was paying fair tax before will no : pay any more on this basis, and If th s property is increased In value, whiel | was too low before, he will pay eyel !; less than he did under the other sys c tenn. The old excuse of fear of Stat e Tax for the low ,aluation has been dis g sipated and many of the towns in th' , state begin 10 realize that it is for thei
 own advantage to have fair grand lisi and Is a positive advantage to have ! grand list based on low percentage with many inequalities and high rate of taxation.
 On being informed by man in Hart.
 ford that over in NewHaven where the
 property had been assessed to fair val
 uation, the people were dissatisfied, l
 wrote to leading business men in the
 three cities of New Haven, Waterbury
 and Bridgeport, and .inquircd how the new valuation worked and received fa- vorable replies in every instance. frhe sneaker read some of the,e fepiies.)
 PUTNAM.
 The reports of the tax officials of the town and city ofPutnam give evidence | that the affairs of both municipalities have been conducted in general in q business-like manner.
 Your last town report shows rednc- l ton of indebtedness which is certainly eommendable, taking into considcfa- i ton the increased demands for public expenditures The collection ef the general property taxes has been done l in an efficient manner, and you have c comparative small amount Of uncol- i iected taxes. Your combined town and I city tax rate is somewhat higher than the average throughout the State. The grand list of the town in 1893 was $3,U30, ,soi, and the grand list octo- Der, IgU7, as returned to the Tax Com. | missioner, was VI, ,26y ,65I; an increase l of nearly eight per cent, while the grand list Of WiDdham County as re- I turned by sthe towns has Increased from ST, ,993, ,764 to $2i ,6Sl $50, about twenty per cent. The grand list of the state at large in 1883 was t4l6 ,3Z8 ,262, ands lin October, 1907, as returned by the towns uas t73s ,2Z7 ,UB6, an increese Of 77 per ca1t. sdusing the same period of time. .ss
 While it c true that . large amount Of this f1ncreane hAs come from the Iases ctotnu, ,it is equally true that many of tho sufai toWns in the State have ehOwn . much greater inerease than Putnam during the same period of time.
 There ssems to bs no record of any definite revalusejou 0f the entire town since tts incorporation.
 Your assessed valuation ~ reported by the nssensOrs is 6 2-3 per cent. From other reliable sources l am ad- yised thst some of your central busi- ness property h in at considerably less than fifty per cent.
 IL is true that in any town that has not had revaluation there ts bound to he great inequalities, some property be- Ing put III 0h . AnosA ns6aS "~saS sh0'' other property.
 Even assuming that tine estimate Of 68 z-s per eent- k correct, with an in- crease to fair valuation basis,it would be possible for you to raise the same amount Of money by taxes oB such an increased grand list with total town and city tax rate of about ip mills in place Of Is mills as at present. In ad- fiitloa, whenever q town has made Il re- valuation. the grand Hal on fair value basis has in every ease exceeded Inc highest estimate