The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-07-31
THE TAXATION REPORT.

THE TAXATION REPORT.
The commission appointed by GoveIno
Proctor pursuant 20 an act OF the las
legislature, TO investigate the question o
taxation-o. NJ Barber OF Bennington, j
ii. sentcr Of Montpelier, G, W. Pierce o.
Brattleboro. l., l.. Slack Of 81. Johns
bury, Ernest Hitchcock Of Pittsiord anC
A. A. Olmstead OF South Newbury-ha'
made public its report this week. Thi'
body OF men has been commonly called The
double taxation commission although the
legislative act which provided for It's exist
ence SAYS nothing about this particular
feature Of our tax laws, In the opening
paragraphs of its report the commission
calls attention to the fact that the evils
and inequalities which apparently exist I'M
der the present system are due not so
much to the taxing OF property twice as
to the dishonesty Of many taxpayers IN
the performance Of the duties which the
law imposes upon them with reference to
taxation.
The commission marshals an imposing
array OF facts demonstrating that there
are frequent and fragrant violations OF the
law by both listers and taxpayers; that
less than three per cent. of all the IN
yentories on file are filled out as required
by law; that many taxpayers file no in
yentories, and that an enforcement OF the
law imposing fine Of 800 upon lister
for accepting an inventory not properly
made out would in 1907 have amounted TO
over s2OO0O,OOO. Real estate throughout
the state is appraised on the average at
not more than 20 per cent. of its value in
stead of at its true value, as required by
law, and the result is that the state school
and state highway taxes yield about s15,'
900 less than would be received if the law
were obeyed. As to personal property
the conditions in this respect are even
worse.
Among the changes recommended by the
commission is the creation of a state tax
commission of three members, of which
tUt sldlt luA NpillilloelphNl iNl WV VIM
being shall be chairman, with control of
all administrative matters relating to taxa
ton for state purposes, with supervisory
powers over listers and authority to
equalize their appraisals, with power to
appraise stock and bonds in domestic cor
poratons and to be charged with the duty
of formulating blank inventories for the
use of taxpayers. The commission also
recommends that listers be elected
for "a term of three years and by ballot;
that separate appraisals be made of land
and Of buildings thereon; that individual
inventories be filed for inspection before
the completion of the grand list; that tax
payers be compelled to return their inven-
tories on or before April 10 annually and
that failure to do so be punishable by
doubling and assessing substantially as the
law now provides; that listers be given the
authority to subpoena witnesses on the
question Of whether any taxpayer has
made complete inventory of his taxa
bic estate; that discount for payment of
local taxes be abolished; that all taxes be
paid in full on or before a date fixed and |
that an interest penalty be added for de-
lays in payment In order to ascertain the
actual value of exempt real estate the COM
mission advises that this class of property
be appraised at the next quadrennial APP
praisal
All of these recommendations are made
with the idea of bringing about, in so far
as is possible, the taxation of all taxable
property, and there is little doubt that
their adoption would tend to remedy
many of the evils which now exist. On
the question of double taxation, however,
the commission is unable to agree as to
any guaranteed remedy. With reference
to supposed remedies frequently sug
gested, viz: (D, taxation of the mort
gagee's interest as real estate, his credit
to be otherwise untaxed, and the mort
sagor to be taxed on his equity only; (2),
from taxation of all mortgaged
oans bearing interest at specified rate
Or less, the commission is of the opinion
that they would fail to relieve the debtor
class and would probably introduce greater
evils than now exist. Only two complete
remedies are uggested-taxation of only
,angible property and the allowance of off
sets against both real and personal prop s
'rty-and the commission condemns both
If these propositions. The commission,
With the exception of Messrs. Olmstead
md Pierce, recommend the unconditional
epeal of the law regarding offsets, be- {
ieving that such action would add more {
han $40, 100000 to the grand list and result
n substantial decrease in the average I
ate Of local taxation. Messrs. Barber and s
recommend uniform rate OF q
i've mills ON the dollar of the appraisal s
m all intangible property, such as stocks, |
'onds, notes and other securities, includ-
ng stocks in foreign corporations Messrs.
Fierce and Olmstead oppose this plan. '
Dir. Slack opposes it in so far as it applies ]
o stock in foreign corporations taxed
vhere the corporation is located, while Mr.. G
'enter is not persuaded that the time is /
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