The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1910-01-11
Tuesday, January II, 1910.
JONES ON TAXATION.

South Carolina never had more
efficient or more energetic hard
working and conscientious official
than Comptroller General A. W..
Jones. He knows the tax system OF
the State thoroughly and is familiar
with every detail.
As this is the year in which re-
turns of real estate are to be made
Mr.. Jones is again calling attention
of auditors to the provision Of the
constitution which says property
must be listed at its actual value.
BY this, he explains, is meant It's
cash value. Mr.. Jones very truly
says that the main purpose In as
sessing property is to get an equi-
table valuation so that the burden
will bear evenly among the counties
and in order to do this we must first
get it returned at its cash value and
then the board of equalization can
adopt a sixty per cent. ratio and
the burden will bear evenly. Il
one man returns at twenty-five per
cent. valuation and another at fifty
per cent. and another at sixty why
Of course there can be no equitable
distribution of the tax burden. The
same is true among the counties.
Mr.. Jones is right. There is rooG
for reform in the matter Of assess
ment Of property. There is great
inequality. The constitution places
actual value as the proper basis. It /
makes little difference in one sense
what the basis is so the same ratio
Of value is maintained in the as
sessment Of all the property. In an
other sense it makes big difference.
At one time va heartily agr
with Mr.. Jones that actual value
was. the right thing to do but after
an association Of several years with
legislation and rather close OBJ
servance OF, the making Of laws and
the men who are commissioned to
make them and to spend the money,
and somewhat close study of the
finances Of the State, our views have
undergone a decided change and we
would advise not over a fifty per
cent valuation and would prefer a
twenty-five per cent valuation. Do
you ask why. Have you observed
that for more than ten years as as
sessments have increased the levy
for State purposes has increased in
stead Of decreasing.
That means, of course, that ex-
penses have increased.
In 1898 the assessed value of the
property of the State was In round
figures $17O,000,000 and the tax levy
was 4 1-2 mills, and at the end of
the year there was a surplus of about
100000. Ten years later the as
sessed value was $270,0OO,OO0 and
the levy for State purposes was 5 1-2
mills and there was deficit of nearly
100000. In other words in ten
years the expenses of running the
government had increased from
100000 to over 81, 100000. Other
sources Of income had been divised
In the meantime such as the corpor-
alton license tax and tax on insur-
auce COMPANIES, on incomes and so
on by which something like a hun
dred thousand had been added to the
income Of the State. If the valua-
ton had remained the same the leg
islature would never have doubled
the levy. The average legislator
thinks he has done well if he does
not increase the levy and if he can
reduce the levy he has a great cam
paign slogan as to how he reduced
taxes even if the assessed valuation
has increased 50 as to make the in
crease twice what it was. I
Of course it should not be forgot