Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-18
CURE FOR TAX EVILS
Assessor Richards Offers New
Plan in Annual Report.
ASKS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT
Work Is Done Only Every Three
Years Now.
SUGGESTS BOARD OF ARREARS
And Congress Should Pass Law Can
ceiling All Taxes Not Included
in Certificate.
ASKS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT
BOARD OF ARREARS

Sweeping and important changes in the
system of assessing property in the Dis
trict. providing for an annual instead of
triennial assessment of all holdings and
for board of review that shall have no
part in the initial assessment except that
of general supervision. have been suggest
ed to the Commissioners by Assessor
Richards in his annual report submit
ted today.
Details of the New Plan.
AS remedy for the faults in the pres
ent SYSTEM Mr.. Richards outlines the
following plan:
First. to have the city divided into
three more sections. with two assistant
assessors for each section, who would
make both personal and real estate as
sesSments: second, to have board of
review. consisting of the assessor and
two deputy assessors, the first to have
supervision of real estate assessments and
the second to have charge of personal as
sessments: third the board of review to
have no part in the initial assessment
except to furnish the assistant assessors
with all data relative to sales. transfers.
building operations and subdivisions, and
to supervise the work; fourth. that the
assessment shall be made each year for
the entire District and that personal
notice shall be given of every change in
the assessment, but that no requirement
shall be made directing the assistant as
SCISSORS to view every piece of property
within that part of the District over
which they have charge; fifth that there
should be complete and accurate data as
TO prices paid for all real estate. and
that these records should be under the
direction or care of the assessor and the
two deputy assessors.
Some Of the Objections.
Assessor Richards says that some of the
objections made against the present meth
DDS of triennial assessments are that
with the force allowed it is Impossible to
cover the ground within the time desig-
mated and give thorough and exhaustive
study to the various real estate values,
and the duties of the assistant assessors
make II impossible for them to be richly
up-to-date in regard to sales and prices
Of real estate: that the same men who
make the initial or tentative assessment
are allowed to serve on the board of re-
view and at times constitute a ma jority
of that board SO that there is not the ap
pearance of an unbiased hearing to the
appealing property holder; that the num-
her constituting the board of review Is
larger than is necessary; that the. asSess-
ments fixed for the first year of any
period of years are apt to become stale or
unequal by the time that the total assess
ment is finished and that the time of
hearings on the triennial assessments is
q difficult thing for the public to keep
track of.
Thinks Cure Is Found.
He believes that the remedy suggested
will tend to a nearer equalization of real
estate assessments: that by yearly as
sessments everybody will become better
Informed as to the exact date of an APP
peal. and that. the appeal period can be
greatly shortened to the advantage of
both the Office and the property holder;
1,r Tod
on the next yearly assessment without
waiting for period of several years as
now necessary; that the taxpayer will
feel that he is being more fairly dealt
with in having board Of review whose |
IDEAS are in no way included in the orig
inal tentative assessments: that it will |
tend to add to the revenue of the District |
by adding the natural advances of values |
to each years assessments In place OF at |
the end Of the years period. and that 1t
will tend to uniformity In bookkeeping |
and in Office work. :.
Some Other Suggestions.
AS means of providing a guarantee to |
persons who obtain tax certificates that |
they absolutely accurate, Assessor |
Richards recommends that Congress be
asked to pass a law which will cancel all |
taxes not included in the tax certificates.
The appointment of a board of arrears |
Of taxes, which will dispose of by law
all property bought in by the collector of
taxes at the tax sales, is also favored by
the assessor as practical solution of the
problem of collecting taxes in arrears.
The value of real property in the Dis
trict, as assessed for taxation in the fs-
cal year of 1909 was S216,59077 as COM
pared with $3.50 3I4 S34 for the previous
year. The assessment of personal prop |
erty in the District in the fiscal year of
1909 was S919. 1923, an increase of about |
$3.50 over the tax for 1908. The real es-
tate tax for 1909 amounted to 81 14Sn S61 81. |
as compared with 1885, S72. SO IN the
previous year.