Weekly Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1908-1909, 1909-01-29
TAX COM MISSION
RAP9 PERSONAL
PROPERTY LEVY
SHOWS, IN IT'S REPORT, THAT AS
SEsSMENT IS LESS THAN ONE
HALF IT'S TRUE VALUE.
MAKES TAX RATE HIGHER.
Failure Of Local Assessors to Place All
Property on Rolls Puts Heavier
Burden on Taxpayers.
AID vALoREM, SYSTEM is PRAISED.

MADISON, Wis. Jan. 28-[ Special.
Personal property is assessed at less
than onc-half Of its true value" is one
n the striking statements in the report
II the state tax commission, submitted
20 the Legislature today. The laws re
Iatng TO assessments have not been
changed in any material respect since
the act Of 1908, resulting in the exemp-
ton Of mortgages, but assessments of
personal property falling off from 56.2
Ber cent to 4S.J per cent. of the true
value during that period
This constantly increasing omis-
SION from The assessment rolls Of person
al property, or the differentiation Of
such as lind their way TO the rules seems
10 nave the tacit approval Of the local
taxpayers; very rarely criticism of the
assessors comes from them. 1t is quite
apparent that we are fast drifting away
from the assessment Of personal proper
~ and toward tax on land only"
Tax Rate Is Higher.
The report further declares that while
NE state assessment more than doubles
HE value Of the personal property Of the
STATE as assessed locally. the root Of the
eVll IS not reached us long as no addi-
tlonal property is placed on the local
rolls
'IIIc larger the amount Of property
omitted by the local assessor. the heavier
IS the burden on the property, which he
places on the rolls" says the report,
he nearer he comes 10 placing all tax
able property upon the rolls mt full val
ne. the lower the rate and the greater
the reHet 10 those persons who under n
raf"ic&S assessment find their property
on the rolls"
Referring to monies and credits the
seem to have abandoned all effort to
assess them. This is true as Il rule
throughout the state. There are, of
course, some assessors who diligently
perform their duties, both to quantity
and value of property
Present System Inefficient
Speaking Of the creation Of the tax
commission and Of the office of county
supervisor OF assessments, il saws these
have not proved Il remedy, but have fur
nlShed evidence Of the fact that local
assessments especially of personal prop
crty, year after year, diverge from true
value"
The income tax is considered, but the
tact is noted that experience has shown
It difficult Of enforcement Europe has
come to the income tax as & substitute
Tor the personal property tax
Our present system besides being de-
plcrably inefficient, is excessively ex-
pcusivc,' continues the report Annual
assessments may well he abandoned, even
under the present system, and triennial
or QuadrennlaI assessments substituted
with power lodged in the boards of re-
view, to take notice Of any material
changes IN property
Praise for Ad VaIorem Tax.
The income tax is then mentioned
with the declaration that the administra-
ton Of it might be placed in an official
having jurisdiction co-eNteuSive with
the county, the larger counties having
sufficient number of deputies to ad-
minister the law. The important ac-
romplishments Of the ad valorem law
Tor taxation purposes is discussed in de-
tail. Prior to the passage Of this act,
the railroads paid taxes i'll proportion
to the earnings Of the companies under
plan known as the income fee sys-
tenn The following is the balance of
nd yalorem taxes over license fees col
lected FOR the last five years:
l9oi Observation-Disclosures. S345.942. 90
lIIl .......-....... 666.S19.Ib
IIVo .......-.-.. .............. 642.5O4 %
1907 .......... ................ 527, 3O4 90
49US Observation-Disclosures. G91 ,594 %
Total ................ .S3074, %. 80
The report of the board is much small
CT this year than for any biennial period
previously. 1t contains $50 DagpS and
with the exception of the discussion of
personal property, has little space de-
voted to recommendations to the Legis-
lature. Ii is rep!ete with tables showing
the accomplishments of the commission
and of the advancement made in meth
DDS of taxation.
Commissioner Haugen has a separate
chapter on the taxation of credits and
money, in which he declares that in view
of the apparently accepted policy of the
state, that real estate mortgages shall
remain exempt, every principle of justice
and equality i'll taxation methods re-
Quires that the exemption be extended to
money and to all class of intangible
property embraced in the general term
credits