The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-12-30
FIRST, THE LISTERS.
(Rutland Herald)

No proposition of tax reform IS
apt to amount to much unless the
problem of correct listing is actively
included. The Herald has taken fire.
the things that stand in the way of
intelligent conception of the tax sit
uation is the fact that many taxpay-
ers do not know how oppressive and
unjust the present laws are. Human
nature, in a far from dscreditable
phase, has operated to inspire listers
to make things easy for the debtor,
with the result that the average
grand list is far below the actual
value of the property in money.
If the lists of the State of Vermont
were taken at their true and lawful
value in money, the average tax rate
of the State, instead Of being about
$1.65, would be below $3.50
The Herald was sincerely disap-
pointed in the failure of all PROPOSE
tons looking to a reform of taxation
say that it hoped that the Cushman
bill, providing for an ironclad COM
mission, with powers to go into all
the towns of the State and revise
their grand lists according to law,
had become a statute.
1t would have created tremend-
GUS uproar in the State but once let
an outside commission go into
town and regulate it's lists according
to law, without fear and favor, and
half the evasions and illegal Offset
would be gotten rid of.
There are many practical reasons
for bringing grand lists up to their
actual value. 1t is, as practical list.
ers say, las broad as its is long" but
look at the asset town creates
when It can point to a large grand
list and a low rate. What better
recommendation can a town have
than heavy grand list and a low
tax rate.
Take also the case of the man who
desires to sell or mortgage his prop
erty. If it is set in the grand list
at half its value, he begins at once
with serious handicap. He finds it
hard to make banks and individuals
believe that his property is worth
twice what the listers of his own
town say it is worth. Nor can it be
wondered at if this is the case. His
low list invites the difficulty.
Whatever may be the final adjust
ment OF fine taxation troubles of the
State it is certain that the listers
may of their own initiative improve
the situation tremendously. The
coming spring brings us to a quad
rennial appraisal and all property
should be listed according to law, all
offsets should be carefully scrutinized
and every possible effort should be
made to uncover all the taxable
property that now so generally seeks
and finds concealment. 1t may be a
painful thing for the taxpayers, but
it will be a great boost toward re-
form.
Listers may-and probably will
insist that they have always lived up
to the law. This, however is only
the exception, not the rule. The re-
port of the special committee on tax
alton showed very plainly that the
average lister habitually violates his
oath of office, the proportion of legal
lists examined by the special> agents
of that commission being astonish-
ingly small.
The Legislature will not meet until
next fall, but the listers of the vari-
Gus towns of the State of Vermont
have it in their power to inaugurate
local taxation reform of character
that will have a lasting effect in the
deliberations of that body.
They have always had the power
every four years, but most of them
have not availed themselves thereof.