The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-04-30
MORE TAXES
ON REAL ESTATE
QuadrenniaI Appraisemant Bill Hits
Farm aud Other Realty Owners.
ARE CORPORATIONS BACK OF IT ?

Measure Now Before the House In
terests Farm and City Propert,
owners-Prompt Action Necessar,
to Meet the Situation.
Columbus, O.-(Special.)- .)-Senat,
bill No. 55S passed the senate las
week. This bill provides for tn,
revaluation of real estate next year
and this increased valuation will be
subject to the tax rate for 1910: thai
is to say, increased valuations on rea
estate. farms, etc. will become sub
ject to taxation one year in advance
Of the time under the regular decen
nial appraisal.
Every man who owns a farm Oh
other realty will find his taxes in
creased If the bill becomes a law.
Every owner of city lot and house
will find his pocketbook touched hard
by officials having taxation power.
The outlook is not a pleasant one
for land and buildings already bear
by far the largest per cent of the
taxes and the farms pay me bulk Of
this amount.
These are arguments that oppo
nents of the bill have presented to
legislators. They claim that senate
bill No. sos, by Mr. West, which on
its face reads innocently enough, will
give public officials power to levy in.
creased taxes on one class of prop.
erty-real estate. Even where a
wisely-fixed debt limit or the adverse
votes of citizens have kept down the
debts of counties and cities. the way
will now be clear for officials to raise
more money and to run the people
more deeply into debt, and the voters
will have no check on this proposed
increase.
Single Tax.
Though perhaps not intended as a
single-taX measure, 1t tends in that
direction. Single tax proposes to tax
real estate alone, while this aims to
throw most of the ta.5 fer the
time being at least upon realty.
The CuyahOga county delegation is
working hard for the passage of the
bill. Their sponsor, Mayor Tom l..
TnhnCnn iC nd ~ nln
porter. But more than this, Mayor
Johnsons administration has spent so
much money that 1t has run Cleve.
land up to the debt limit, and finds
necessary improvements and some of
the ordinary expenses of the city gov
ernment. Several times. the admins
tration has attempted to rise more
money by submitting proposed
bond issue to the voters at an elec-
tion, but each time the proposed in
crease in debt has been voted down.
In spite of this public sentiment,
under this bill the bonded indebted
ness of Cleveland or any other mu.
nicipality in the state might be in
creased so to 100 percent.
And this bill takes from the farmer
and small realty owner the right to
select and vote for the man who ap-
praises his property and puts it in the
hands of board to appoint the ap.
praiser.
This bill provides for appraisals of
realty every four years, instead of ten
years, as has been the custom in this
state. There is no great objection to
the more frequent reappraiSal. but no
change should be made prior to the
usual period. Leases and contracts
have been made based on the decen.
nial appraisement of 1900, and own.
ers and lessees had the right to ex-
pect that conditions would not be
changed prior to the usual time. II
the appraisal is made at the usual
time for but four years, everybody
will so understand 1t and be governed
accordingly.
New Rule For Valuation.
Opponents of the bill demand that
there shall be no change prior to the
usual period, and that it should not
pass unless other legislation accom-.
pany it,, such as reducing the limits
of taxation which may be levied by
municipal and county authorities. Oh,
lection is offered to the section which
provides that real estate shall be tax,
ed at it's true value in money, without
discount" without discount" are
new words in Ohio tax laws. BY Gus,
tom it has become the rule to value
for taxation all property both real and
personal, at 60 per cent of its true
value. Some is valued even lower
the tax valuation of personal property
being especially low. For instance
If farm or II city lot is worth
$4,000 in the market, the assessors
have placed upon it valuation not
to exceed $500, which is 60 per cent
Under the new law the valuation or
the tax books would have to be $4,000
and the officials would have power to
keep the tax rate on the property as
high as in the past.
While the proposed law will en-
force a higher valuation on all real
estate, 1t will not cut down the rate
of taxation which public officials are
empowered to fl. For instance, II
/ the rate of taxation has been per
cent in some county or city, officials
may still keep 1t at per cent though
the tax valuation of property jumps
from so per cent OF market value to
full market value, II the total tax