The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1909-10-04
LONGER 1ERMSFOR
ASSESSORS
KING COUNTY ASSESSOR SAYS
PRESENT LAW WORKS HARD
SHIP AGAINST THE MAN WHO
LEARNS THE BUSINESS.

Seattle, Oct. 4.-That the constitu-
tional limit of two years each for
county assessors in the state of Wash
ington works to the detriment of the
honest taxpayer by the obliteration
of learned and experienced assessor,
was the keynote of an address de-
livered in Louisville Friday night by
Thomas A. Parish. a member of the
state board of tax commissioners,
formerly assessor of King county, be-
fore the delegates to the National
convention.
In concluding an exhaustive paper
in which Tax Commissioner Parish
detailed in the abstract some of his
troubles in arriving at true valua-
tons in King county, Mr.. Parish
said:
| Experience, while oftentimes a
stern, is nevertheless always an in
structive teacher, and each days
| work of an assessing officer contrib
utes its mite of Information to q con-
stantly growing fund of assessment
knowledge. enhancing with each days
accumulation the assessors value to
the taxing district, and becoming
an unavailing asset upon his success
sion In Office.
Under the constitution of the
state of Washington, county assessors
are elected for the term of two years,
| being ineligible for election after
their second term. BY this most un-
wise limitation inexperience is con-
stantly displacing experience to the
great detriment of the public service.
Il am, therefore, strongly in favor
OF permanency in the tenure of the
assessors Office to the fullest possible
extent and its entire elimination from
the realm Of politics, believing that
until then the science Of assessment
will remain largely an unknown
quantity, subordinated to considera-
ton OF policy and expediency, politi-
cal or otherwise.
| Unfortunately for the taxpayers
of Washington, the old general prop
erty tax system has prevailed for
many years, surrounded by antiquat-
ed constitutional limitations which
have restrained its legislature from
enacting any legislation designed to
remedy its many evils. Under this
system all real and personal property
In the state except that expressly
exempted under the constitution, is
subject to assessment ami taxation
upon equalized valuation thereof,
| fixed with reference to the first day
Of March, at IL o'clock meridian, at
its true and fair value in money.
which is by statute defined as that
value at which the property would
be taken in payment of just debt
from solvent debtor
| This apparent statutory require
ment of full valuation of all prop
erty for assessment and taxation has,
| however, never been officially re-
garded as mandatory by assessing Of
ficers OF the state, and prior to the
| creation OF the state tax commission
In 1905 with directory authority over
| all county assessors, many of the as
SCISSORS employed such percentages of
value for assessment purposes as they
deemed most advantageous to the in
terests OF their respective counties,
| the same seldom agreeing in the vari-
GUS classes of property assessed and
often widely varying in different
communities of the same county.
Immediately after my induction
into Office in January, 1907, made
careful and systematic examination
of the county's personal property tax
rolls for several preceding years. and
soon found evidence in abundance of
a most lamentable lack of uniformity
In assessed values throughout the
county.
! THE correction Of fragrant in
equalities required the application
of but one remedy, strict compli-
ance with the law requiring the as
sessment of all taxable property at
its true and fair value in money. or
II upon a percentage of such value
the application of the same rate to
all property.
Personally have always been Of
the opinion that the law directing a
full valuation of all property for as
sessment and taxation is mandatory
and its non-observance as such in
this and other states where similar
laws prevail. the fruitful and eff
cient cause of that most vicious of alf
} features of taxation, inequality Of
assessment"
NJ. Parish then explained the
WORK of the state tax commission TO
obtain an equitable assessment of all
property.
~e