Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-02-19
Those Tax Assessments.
EDITOR COURIER:

wishes To know n you have the
backbone" to publish the land
assessments of this county, and
further he is of the opinion that
a few farmers may give in the
value Of their land while others do
not. 1t strikes me that if YOU
publish all these names with the
assessments you will have a large
contract on your hands and one
that is certainly needless. as any
one who is DESTROYS to find out
these facts can easily do so by
going to the assessors office.
The landowners are not respon-
Sible for the assessments. as your
correspondent intimates; in fact he
has nothing whatever To do with it..
and likely very few of them, COM
paratively, see the assessor when
the assessment is made. 1t is
entirely different from the assess
ment of personal property when
the taxpayer receives list Ia
make out and return. If Il land
ownr: thinks he has been assessed
too high he can go To court and
have the matter adjusted.
Every few years the court APP
points a man To assess the land of
the county and he uses his own
judgement in the value he puts
upon the land: rs amatter OF course
he may sometimes consult the
owner. This condition of affairs
prevails all over the State, and
where there is perhaps as many a
two hundred or more assessors il
is utterly impossible for any uni
formity of assessment. Some
counties may pay more than their
Just proportion of taxes by reason
of the personality and judgment OF
the assessor and the previous rate
in his county.
Generally speaking, should say
the tendency would be for low as,
sessments, so as to protect the
people of his county against more
than their just proportion of taxa,
tion. i have heard it said by peo.
pie who ought To know that there
are some of the richest counties in
the State-rich in minerals, timber
etc.-who draw more money from
the State treasury than they pay
into it. This question is one that
has been talked about and agitated
for many years, but like many
other matters of supreme impor.
tance to the welfare of the people
our legislators have passed it over
and consume the time of the ses
sions in playing politics, buncombC
and things of little interest TO the
people.
There are two remedies for thi.
condition of affarirs-first, a boarC
of equalization, who would OF
necessity be compelled to trave
all over the State to examine into
conditions and values. This woulC
create new set of officers anC
might be expensive, but better thar
doing nothing. The second plan
and | think the better, would bC
for the State to abolish the Stat,
land tax, and derive its revenu,
from corporations, ETC., for Stat,
expenses. This would leave tn,
land tax exclusively to the countie
to deal with for county and loca
purposes. This would compel eacl
county to take care of itself anC
settle for all time the question o
land assessments. 1t matters bu
little whether assessments are higI
or low; if low the rate of taxation
would have to be high enough {,
meet current expenses. if assess
ments were made high the rate O
taxation would be lowered.
If | am not mistaken the framer
of our new constitution had in viey
a time when the State would deriv
ample revenue from corporation
for state purposes and if | am no
still further mistaken that tim
has now arrived when the land Ia
could be left to the counties to dea
with p